779 million Lack Basic Sanitation Facilities in Africa, WHO Claims

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said out of the estimated 800 million African populations, only 290 million people had access to basic sanitation services between 2000 and 2020.

The world body said 779 million people still lack those basic sanitation services, while 208 million still practice open defecation in Africa.

WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti made the observation in a message she delivered to commemorate the World Toilet Day 2022, which reflected sanitation and groundwater in legislation.

She said the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme report on progress on drinking water and sanitation showed that only 29 percent of health care facilities in Africa have basic sanitation services.

She said: “According to the Joint Monitoring Programme 2020 data, 33 percent of households in Africa have basic sanitation services, with 21 percent using safely managed sanitation facilities.

“Two out of three people lack safely managed sanitation services. The same report shows that in Africa 27 percent of rural and 5 percent of urban populations still practice open defecation.

“We must work on average four times faster to ensure everyone has a safe toilet by 2030. The connection between sanitation and groundwater cannot be overlooked,” the regional director said.

Moeti said the report further showed that in densely populated urban settings, pit latrines and septic tanks sited close to water points that draw from shallow aquifers create potentially serious health risks.

“This has a profound impact on public health and environmental integrity. For women and girls, in particular, toilets at home, school and at work help them fulfil their potential and play their full role in society, especially during menstruation and pregnancy.

“The indignity, inconvenience, and danger of not having access to safely managed sanitation is a barrier to their full participation in society,” she said.

The regional director said access to safely managed sanitation services as a combination with safely managed drinking water services and good hygiene practices, is fundamental to ensuring public health.

She said safely managed sanitation services will lead to fulfilling the SDG 6 targets and is essential for the realisation of all other sustainable development goals.

World Toilet Day is celebrated annually on November 19 with the objective of addressing the global sanitation crisis and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6: “Water and sanitation for all by 2030.”

This year’s theme, “Sanitation and groundwater,” focuses on the impact of the sanitation crisis on groundwater.