National Sanitation Strategy.

This National Sanitation Strategy is a sectoral policy document. The national sanitation goal is to achieve 100% sanitation coverage by 2010. The primary objective of this national sanitation strategy is to delineate the ways and means of achieving the national target through providing a uniform guideline for all concerned. More specifically, the objectives of this strategy are to: 1. address the key sector issues, 2. define the roles of various actors and 3. guide the creation of enabling conditions for success.
The Strategy seeks to contribute to sustainable development. One of the guiding principles is: environmental integrity. Sanitation services that have unacceptable impacts on the environment, particularly pollution of water resources, will not be considered adequate. Particular attention is required to the adequate separation of latrines and water points. The scope of this present strategy is to address issues related to unhygienic defecation only. However, strategies for addressing the issues of solid waste management, and disposal of household waste water and storm water will be considered separately also as a matter of priority.
The Strategy seeks to contribute to reducing rural poverty. The Strategy's guiding principles include: 1. Sanitation is a human right; 2. Hardware subsidies only for the poorest; 3. Communities are central to the sanitation planning process and special emphasis needs to be placed on effectively involving the poorest in the communities; 4. Gender sensitive approach. One of the Strategies proposed in the Policy is: Reaching the hardcore poor. Apart from the centralized/ project based subsidized services, local resources (kind/ cash) at the local government institution level needs to be mobilized to assist the hardcore poor on a priority basis based on their poverty ranking. Local government institutions, government agencies, and NGOs/ CBOs should provide interest free or with low interest micro-credit: facilities to the moderate poor. To make the whole process transparent, accountable and effective, an institutional arrangement from community level to central level should be strengthened.
The Strategy also seeks to increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters. Strategies for emergency response are proposed, including: 1. Emergency preparedness programmes must include sanitation components 2. Designate flood shelters e.g., schools, colleges, cyclone shelters and other public private institutions with adequate sanitation facilities 3. Special motivational activities with key hygienic messages must be undertaken during emergencies 4. Delineation of flood prone areas and building sanitation facilities above flood level 5. Various sanitation options for emergency situation e.g., hygienic trench latrine facilities at the shelters, mobile toilets, pot defecation for children and aged people must be made available.