Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan.

This Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan is a sectoral policy document at the national level, covering the period of 2011-2017. The goal of the Master Plan is to attain universal access to improved sanitation by 2017 for better hygiene, health and environment.
The Plan seeks to contribute to rural poverty redution. In Nepal, 57% of the country's population lacks access to a toilet. A gap of 37 % between people’s access to water supply (80.4%) and sanitation (43.04%) facilities stands as a big challenge in achieving the perceived health benefits from water supply and sanitation services. The poor and disadvantaged communities are the most affected, with children and women fairing worst. Solid waste and wastewater problems are growing rapidly in urban areas. Nepal has to achieve at least 53% toilet coverage by 2015 to meet the sanitation Millennium Development Goal (MDG). To achieve the goal, the Plan sets up the milestones as follow: Milestone 1 : Toilet coverage of 60% of the total population by 2012/13 Milestone 2 : Toilet coverage of 80% of the total population by 2014/15 Milestone 3 : Universal toilet coverage by 2016/17 Moreover, the master plan gives the due focus on sustainable changes on hygiene behaviors including the proper use of toilet and waste management practices in urban and rural areas. The specific objectives of the Master Plan include: 1. To create an enabling environment for harmonizing the efforts of stakeholders through unified planning and the implementation process; 2. To develop the necessary mechanism for maintaining uniformity and standards in approaches and modalities; 3. To develop an institutional arrangement at all levels for revitalizing and strengthening the existing structures and introducing new strategic institutions as appropriate; 4. To set national and district level milestones in terms of toilet coverage; 5. To strengthen the resource pooling and cost-sharing arrangements at action level; 5. To help ensure equity, inclusion and sustainability through participatory planning process; 6. To develop a mechanism for ensuring access of poor, disadvantaged, and other socially excluded groups to toilets and other hygiene behavior, 7 To recommend necessary measures to implement the Master Plan successfully and 8. To create an enabling working environment for appropriate hygiene and sanitation interventions so that people have access to sanitation facilities and improved hygiene behaviors. The operational strategies are developed, including: 1. local bodies to lead for participatory planning, implementation and monitroing of hygiene and sanitation programme; 2. participatory approach crucial for effective, inclusive, gender sensitive, accelerated and sustainable hygiene and sanitation development; 3. identification and mobilization of financial resources; etc.