Building Resilience in Water and Sanitation Key to Managing COVID-19 in the Pacific.
ENPNewswire-January 28, 2022--Building Resilience in Water and Sanitation Key to Managing COVID-19 in the Pacific
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Release date- 27012022 - Building Resilience in Water and Sanitation Key to Managing COVID-19 in the Pacific.
Utility companies that deliver water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in the urban areas of the Pacific region need to invest more and plan their business continuity and water safety programs amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a new ADB report.
The Review of Opportunities for the Pacific WASH Sector, which looks at the impact of the pandemic on the WASH sector in ADB's 14 Pacific developing member countries (DMCs), has proposed strategic directions to help build a more resilient and sustainable WASH sector, as the region manages the spread of the virus and at the same time reopens borders to revitalize economies.
'The WASH sector plays a key role in enabling a healthier population in the Pacific and in building the countries' resilience to public health emergencies such as COVID-19,' said ADB Pacific Department's Urban Water and Sanitation Division Director Jingmin Huang.
ADB will continue to provide both immediate support and longer-term assistance, including helping in business continuity planning for utilities, water safety planning, sector coordination, installation of handwashing facilities in public places and schools, behavioral change communication campaigns, and others to assist both governments and utilities in delivering effective and sustainable WASH programs.
The report calls for deepening engagement in policy issues and governance, more investment in the sector, stronger synergies between water supply, sanitation, and public health sectors, and better knowledge-sharing partnerships. Targeting WASH interventions with defined sustainability plans to ensure continuity of services, implementing monitoring frameworks, and conducting impact assessments are key priority actions that countries need to take.
The report notes that special efforts are needed to identify at-risk populations-the poor and people with underlying health issues-and target them with WASH interventions. The report raises the need for better collaboration between public health agencies and the water and sanitation service providers across the Pacific.
The report outlines country-specific opportunities that will improve water supply, sanitation, and...
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