ISLAMABAD, July 6: Pakistan ranked 127 in a total of 162 countries on the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) development index. Two immediate factors contributing to the country's low-ranking are inadequate coverage of water supply and sanitation.

This information was shared at a workshop on "Sanitation in Pakistan" organised by the ministry of environment and the World Bank here. It is a fact, the participants of the workshop were told, that investments in water and sanitation could lead to improved health, education, cash income, food production, employment, independence, safety and security of rural women, leisure, as well as to reduce the burden of disease.

In Pakistan, the sanitation coverage is a cause of serious concern. Nearly, 45 per cent of all households do not have access to latrine. Furthermore, only 51 per cent of all households are connected to any form of drainage, of which 35 per cent to open drains and 16 per cent to underground sewers or covered drains. Thus the presence of latrines does not necessarily indicate an improvement in sanitation.

Likewise, only five per cent households have access to a municipal garbage collection system. Nearly 81 per cent households do not have any garbage collection system at all. Moreover, inadequate sanitation together with unsafe drinking water constitutes a major death and disability threat in the developing countries.

Interestingly, in terms of access to, and equity in and quality of water supply and sanitation services issues in Pakistan overall paint a bleak picture.

Public sector investment in this sector is woefully inadequate. For instance, Pakistan spends less than one quarter of a percentage point of its GDP on sanitation. Therefore, sanitary conditions are appalling. Toilets may be available but proper system for disposal of wastes does not exist. Proper use of toilets leading to behavioural change in sanitary hygiene practices is not a focus.

Systems for disposal of liquid and solid wastes are inadequate. During the workshop, it was also shared with the participants that a major challenge has recently been introduced with devolution process in the country.

The traditional public service delivery mechanisms have been abolished. A new level of local government, Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), has been introduced with primary responsibility for planning and implementation of water supply and sanitation services.

This strengthens the bottom up planning and accountability by bringing the decision making closer to the end users. There are areas, however, where clarifications are required for many functions which may not be feasible for TMAs to undertake solely.

These include macro-level planning and visioning, water quality, monitoring and evaluation, research and development, institutional strengthening and capacity building, etc. Hence, a strategy for narrowing the sharp rural-urban divide is also needed.