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We, the undersigned, believe:
The first steps in partnering to address these systemic challenges are to build on our successes, learn from our failures, and agree on a shared vision of sustainable WASH services regardless of one’s role or perspective. Specifically, WASH should be viewed in the developing world as it is in the developed world – as a service, not as a project.
Together, we propose to advance sustainable solutions[i] in water, sanitation, and hygiene education through the following mission and guiding principles. These are intended to serve as a common framework that stakeholders[ii] in the sector can agree upon when collaborating with communities in pursuit of these basic services[iii] around the world.
To collaboratively promote the delivery of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services that produce high-quality, lasting benefits to consumers.
This Charter seeks to align WASH stakeholders around collaboratively developed sustainability principles and catalyze adoption of these principles around the world. In recognition of the many approaches to achieving each principle, the Charter provides a framework for the development of corresponding best practices and metrics to facilitate ongoing learning rather than prescribing specific practices to achieve these principles.
Those endorsing this Charter will strive to incorporate these principles and actively promote WASH sustainability throughout their work. The Charter is an aspirational document, not a governing one. Endorsers agree to pursue the mission and strive towards the principles incorporated in the Charter. It is intended that WASH stakeholders will encourage and assist each other in applying the Charter’s principles, and ultimately, in improving the sustainability of WASH services around the world.
This mission will be enabled by guiding principles in the areas of:
In order to ensure that WASH services are properly planned, designed for long-term operation, and coordinated with the local community and other stakeholders, we will:
In order to ensure effective management of resources and communication amongst stakeholders, we will:
In order to ensure that an operational infrastructure is in place to meet ongoing service delivery needs, we will:
In order to ensure that capital is available to meet the full life-cycle costs associated with ongoing service delivery, we will:
In order to ensure timely identification of service delivery challenges and to continuously improve our efforts, we will:
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By signing this Charter, we agree to pursue the mission and strive towards the principles incorporated herein, thereby leading the sector toward a vision of WASH as a sustainable service.
Endnotes
[i] Solutions – Refers to the system or approach used to improve the delivery of water, sanitation, and hygiene in a particular geographic area.
[ii] Stakeholders – Refers to a collective group of individuals (e.g. consumers), organizations (e.g. donors, NGOs, implementers, corporations), and other entities (e.g. local and national governments, private sector actors, ministries of health, etc.) that have an interest or stake in the delivery of WASH services for a particular geographic area.
[iii] Services – Refers to the ongoing delivery of WASH solutions in a particular geographic area. Often this term is used in contrast with projects/programs, with emphasis on the implementation of temporary WASH solutions (often interventions) for a specific community or geographic area.
[iv] Life-Cycle – Refers to all stages of a WASH service improvement, from the preliminary needs assessment through the post-implementation period.
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Introduction:
Like other south Asian places, supply of less and poor quality drinking water available within the house is one of the major contributors to agony, disease and death in Pakistan. This has an adverse effect on the quality of life, like disease and death burden due to cholera, diarrhea , Typhoid, Hepatitis , Cancer and bone deformation to name a few.
This is how the need for supply of good quality drinking water becomes a strong priority issue to be resolved for our national development.
the latest development in this direction is 28 July 2010 –Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the General Assembly declared today, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean .water. <http://groups.google.com/group/wash–Pakistan/browse_thread/thread/4627f74d35108cab.
The travel from Local Government ordinance 2001, schedule VI section 94’s , which mentions drinking water as “wholesome water “. Only .Wholesome is a nonspecific term and could have different meanings for different people.
We recommend defining safe drinking water as water having quality conforming to Pakistan standards and quality Control authority (PSQCA), Standard No. PS 1932, ICS No.13.06020 (second revision.)
Document in hand provides an action oriented out line for less than a decade to achieve Millennium development goal of, halving the population not having access to improved drinking water by 2015.in Pakistan.
The problem-Solution analysis presented in this document is like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When we look at them in isolation we tend to doubt its strong relationship with the issue and solutions but we assure you when every piece falls into proper slot it will be the best available picture of the problem and solutions
Assumptions
1. In Pakistan we may not have a supply of intentional safe drinking water , anywhere.
2. No laboratory has the capability to completely analyze drinking water for safety in accordance with PSQCA – Standards at an affordable cost and reasonable time.
For the sake of simplicity the process of achieving the goal of access to safe and enough drinking water has been divided in three phases namely
1. Long term actions where intensive cost and will to do is involved.
2. Short term and medium cost intensive
3. Immediate and doable where mostly, a strong determination will be a major contributor and costs will not be heavy. It will make efficient use of existing resources vis-à-vis manpower infrastructure etc.
1. Long Term
1.1 Local government ordinance 2001 Schedule VI section 94 defines this responsibility as “wholesome water “. The ordinance needs amendment to clearly define drinking water quality in accordance with the government’s ministry of science and technology standards PSQCA, standard No. PS 1932, ICS No.13.06020 second revision.
1.2 Water being used for making ice should also be of similar quality.
1.3 The provider of water and ice has to make a testing arrangement.
1.4 There has to be a third party quality testing by PCRWR, PCSIR, NIH or university/ medical college Lab.
1.5 No untreated sewage water/ industrial waste water to be discharged to water bodies both fresh and ground. This needs regulations by EPA, which is there in the form of NEQS and implementation through Local government.
1.6 Hospital waste has to be properly disposed off.
1.7 Plastic shopping bags should be phased out and technology for converting used shopping bags into water, sun and sound proof sheets be developed, to get rid of this heavy non degradable material.
1.8. Energy Savor Mercury lamps should be controlled for proper disposal; else they will be a great contamination source in water and environment.
Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)
1.6 Ministry of science and technology‘s PSQCA, standard No. PS 1932, ICS No.13.06020 second revision. To be upgraded to mandatory status from the present voluntary, like bottled water standards
1.7 MOST / PSQCA to issue standards for piping and plumbing material
1.8 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for lying of water supply and sewerage pipes need to be documented and issued.
1.9 SOPs for making septic tanks and drainage lines to be developed and implemented
2.0 Develop local technology for Sewerage and wastewater treatment. MOST can do it in collaboration with university (HEC) and EPA.
2.1 Ministry of Environment, to phase out the use of plastic shopping bags and plastic Bottles of soft drinks / Water.
Ministry of health
3.1 Planning to start a national deworming program
3.2 Mass education to drink optimum (2.0-2.5 L for adults), of good quantity water
3.3 Washing hands with soap after the use of bath room
3.4 The hospitals to collect health data on water related diseases
3.5 Medical Officer at Tehsil Headquarter hospital to visit filtration plants, and send his report
4.1 Water billing to consumer should be related to quality and quantity of water being supplied.
4.2 The water service provider should immediately share this information with the consumer and in case of nonconformance the provider will be fined Re.1 /day / person.
4.3 Provider should regularly share quantity and quality of water being supplied to consumer.
4.4 Appointing the most capable available staff member in the department as resident in charge of the treatment plant.
4.6 Clearly writing the job description of the water supply and distribution staff
4.7 Civic bodies supplying drinking water should arrange to take quality assurance measure at the treatment and supply sites
4.8 Documenting procedures for activities at the treatment and testing and Maintain complete records of conformance to these procedures
Note: In writing job descriptions procedures and records, author will give technical support, if needed.
5. Immediate actions
5.1 Appointing the most capable available staff member in the department as resident in charge of the treatment plant.
5.2 On job training of water supply in charge and the staff, about the Procedures of water treatment
5.3 Training of water testing lab staff about basic analytical Procedures
5.4 Providers to share with the consumer, actions being taken in case of an uncontrollable poor quality supply.
5.5 Ensuring drinking water safety at source and encouraging consumers to hand carry this water in clean containers for drinking purpose.
Legal Cover
Ministry of Special initiatives seems to be the focal point of all the activities by default.
1. Inquiry be conducted to see why filtration plants in all union councils were not installed and operative till Dec 2007. Efforts be made to overhaul this set up to function as envisaged by the project writers.
Action Plan for consumers