Blog #8 Clean Water and Sanitation: Zimbabwe


  

On this week’s blog, I will be focusing on a country located in southern Africa known as Zimbabwe, which joined the United Nations on August 25, 1980. Access to safe water and sanitation has been a reoccurring issue in Zimbabwe, especially for those living in rural areas. Zimbabwe is home to about 14 million people, but the majority of the population does not have access to clean water or proper sanitation. According to UNICEF, it has been reported that only 35% of Zimbabwe’s population has access to adequate sanitation. Also, it has been reported that 67% of people living in rural Zimbabwe don’t have access to clean water (CARE, n.d.). Inadequate access to clean water and sanitation can increase the vulnerability to waterborne diseases and malnutrition.

The sustainable developmental goal of water and sanitation is being implemented through various organizations. However, the UNICEF WASH program and the Swedish Embassy have been working to improve access to clean water and sanitation in Zimbabwe. The UNICEF increased access to water by drilling new boreholes and rehabilitating defunct piped water schemes and building handwashing washing sanitations. The Swedish Embassy in Zimbabwe announced that they are funding $1.6 million towards helping those in need of clean water and sanitation in Zimbabwe. The investment will focus on water sources that already exist and aim to rehabilitate them. Furthermore, the government of Zimbabwe, with support from the UNICEF, has approved a gender-sensitive Sanitation and Hygiene Policy and the purpose is to create an open defecation free Zimbabwe by 2030 (UNICEF Zimbabwe).

Moreover, climate change can play in Zimbabwe’s water and sanitation. For instance, droughts affect rural and urban water supplies and reoccurring floods can damage infrastructure and property. Currently, the goal of clean water and sanitation is a priority in this country. As of October 26, 2020, 179, 223 people have access to clean water, and the government has constructed 3,141 handwashing stations across the country (OCHA, 2020). Even though it is not a lot of people, significant progress is being made on helping people increase access to adequate clean water and proper sanitation services

Reference

Clean Water to Families in Zimbabwe. (2020, June 29). Retrieved from https://www.care.org.au/zimbabwe-water-sanitation-hygiene/

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/water-sanitation-and-hygiene-wash

Zimbabwe. (2020, October 26). Retrieved from https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/zimbabwe/


Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 21, 2020 at 4:47 PM

    Hi Dajah,
    $1.6 million is a lot of money going towards helping sanitation and water! I think it's unique that they will drill boreholes rehabilitate defunct pipe water schemes as well as building hand washing washing stations, all to improve the increase amount of water access. I enjoyed reading your post it was interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AmbikaNovember 21, 2020 at 9:32 PM

    Hi Dajah,
    I also wrote about "Clean Water and Sanitation" from SDGs and after doing some research, I found there are still a large number of population without access to clean water and sanitation worldwide. It is very sad to know most of African countries are suffering with this issue because of its hot geographical weather and improper management of water supply. However, it is nice to know that the Swedish Embassy in Zimbabwe, and UNICEF is helping Zimbabwe to overcome this issue. Thank you sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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