Publication: "Sanitation and Cleanliness for a Healthy Environment"

Every year some 3.4 million people, mostly children, die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. Over half of the hospital beds in the world are filled with people suffering from water- and sanitation-related diseases.

In 2002, participants in the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, made a commitment to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by the year 2015. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) believes that this target can only be achieved through empowering individuals, households, and communities to take charge of their own development. For this purpose, UNDP has launched the Community Water Initiative (CWI) with initial support from the Swedish Government, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). CWI provides technical assistance and small grants to communities to improve their water supply and sanitation.

This booklet addresses the different sanitation and hygiene needs of women and men. It gives communities information about how significant sanitation improvements can be made by better use of indigenous skills and local resources. Communities are offered a choice of affordable, safe, and environmentally sound sanitation alternatives. This booklet is designed to be an important part of the Community Water Initiative, stimulating communities to take charge of their sanitation development for a better life.


****** This publication is also available in French and Spanish at: http://www.undp.org/water/supply.html