MoE launching IYS-2008, Rs 40 bln to be spent on Sanitation improvement
By Asim Hussain

ISLAMABAD—With the United Nations’ declaring 2008 as International Year of Sanitation IYS-2008, Ministry of Environment is launching a countrywide program with an allocation of around Rs 40 billion for the sanitation and sewerage sector improvement.
The launch set for Tuesday (March 04), would be an endeavor to get all stakeholders on board to meet the targets set in Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and reach out to those lacking sanitation and sewerage facilities.
According to Ministry statistics, around 50% Pakistanis are lacking proper sanitation facilities and are exposed to health and environmental hazards.
Well placed sources in the Ministry informed that the country will have to adopt a holistic approach to meet internationally set goals to reach out to the neglected people. “By 2015, we shall have to enhance the present sanitation cover of 65% urban and 30% rural, to 75% urban and 35% rural population,” the sources said. “Launching of IYS-2008 would prove to be step forward toachieving these goals. We shall also engage private sector, communities, NGOs, District Governments as well as ProvincialGovernments,” the sources said.
Giving the break-up about allocations, these sources said, InMid Term Development Framework (MTDF 2005-10) Rs 120 billion have been allocated for the environment sector. “Out of this around Rs 60would be provided by the federal and the provincial government and other Rs 60 billion by the private sector.”
According to the further break-up, the sources added, out ofRs 60 billion to be provided by the public sector, Rs 18 billion would be spent on sanitation related projects and sewerage treatmentplants at provincial headquarters.
While out of Rs 60 billion to be raised in the private sector,Rs 25 billion would be spent to set up and improve sewerage network and treatment plants at private housing schemes, the sources added.
The sources said, the projects would be started on cost sharing basis and added, only hand washing after using toilette can minimize the chances of diseases from 30 to 40 per cent.
“It would be an incremental improvement and reward based policy for those localities which gradually achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status,” the sources said. said.
“Proper sanitation and sewerage system would be installed through public-private partnership and localities becoming open defecation free would be rewarded with other uplift projects,” the sources said, new techniques would also be introduced and executed to achieve the targets.
In Pakistan about 91 million lack access to improvedsanitation, 48% of schools do not have access to a toilet facility and the total annual cost of diarrhoeal diseases alone is estimatedbetween Rs. 55 billion to 84 billion.
Taking stock of the situation, Ministry of Environment hadannounced the firstever National Sanitation Policy in 2005 asking the provinces, northern areas, FATA and Azad Kashmir to prepare their strategies and action plans for implementation of the national policy.