Sphere WASH Standards

Clean Water, Safe Sanitation, and Hygiene: Lifesaving Solutions in Crisis Settings

Photo credit: UN News

John Fisher, editor

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are critical components of humanitarian aid and public health interventions, particularly in crisis situations. Access to clean water and adequate sanitation is a universal human right, enshrined in international law and reflected in the Sphere Minimum Standards for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Promotion. These standards aim to reduce the risk of disease and improve the overall well-being of affected populations by ensuring access to safe water, proper sanitation, and hygiene facilities. In crisis settings, the spread of diseases like cholera and diarrhea is often exacerbated by poor water quality, inadequate sanitation, and limited hygiene practices, making WASH interventions essential for saving lives. This summary explores the essential concepts in WASH, the importance of community engagement, integrated approaches, legal frameworks, and hygiene promotion to reduce public health risks in humanitarian settings.

1. The Right to Water and Sanitation

In crisis situations, access to water and sanitation becomes a life-saving necessity. The Sphere Minimum Standards for WASH reflect the Humanitarian Charter’s recognition of the right to life with dignity, protection, and essential humanitarian assistance. People in crises are at higher risk of disease due to inadequate water and sanitation, which can lead to the rapid spread of waterborne diseases like cholera. The primary objective of WASH programs is to mitigate these risks by providing safe drinking water, ensuring access to sanitation facilities, and promoting good hygiene practices. These standards ensure that every individual, regardless of circumstance, is entitled to clean water and sanitation, reinforcing their right to survive and maintain dignity during crises.

2. Essential WASH Activities and Objectives

The core activities of WASH programs revolve around reducing the pathways through which diseases spread, particularly the "F diagram" pathways—faeces, fluids, fingers, flies, and food. WASH initiatives aim to interrupt these transmission routes by promoting proper hygiene, providing clean water, and ensuring safe sanitation. Key activities include educating communities on hygiene, offering safe water supply through appropriate treatment methods, constructing sanitary toilets, and reducing environmental risks such as stagnant water that may attract disease vectors. Managing the complete water cycle—from sourcing to consumption—and the sanitation chain ensures that communities have the infrastructure and knowledge to prevent disease transmission and promote public health.

3. Community Engagement in WASH

Community involvement is essential for the success of WASH interventions. Engaging local populations ensures that interventions are culturally appropriate, meet the specific needs of the community, and foster a sense of ownership. Through active participation, communities can shape the design and implementation of WASH programs, increasing their effectiveness. For example, understanding local hygiene practices and norms helps tailor interventions to better suit the context, making them more likely to succeed. Additionally, ongoing monitoring and feedback mechanisms allow WASH programs to be responsive and adaptable, ensuring that they continue to meet community needs and reduce health risks.

Urban areas present unique challenges for WASH programs due to population density and varied infrastructure. However, urban settings also offer opportunities for using public spaces, media, and technology to reach larger populations. In both urban and rural contexts, coordination with local and national authorities is critical for aligning WASH programs with broader humanitarian efforts, ensuring that the response is both efficient and sustainable.

4. Integrated Approaches and Long-Term Goals

An integrated approach is vital to ensuring that WASH interventions are sustainable and meet long-term community goals. Combining market-based assistance (such as cash or vouchers for hygiene products) with traditional WASH activities enhances the efficiency of the response. Infrastructure development, such as water treatment facilities or sanitation systems, requires careful planning, quality control, and ongoing maintenance to ensure health and safety. Additionally, WASH programs should be designed to minimize environmental impact, promote water conservation, and protect ecosystems. Coordination with other sectors, such as food security and health, is also essential to prevent overlapping efforts and to optimize the quality of WASH services.

5. Legal Framework for the Right to Water and Sanitation

Access to clean water and sanitation is recognized as a fundamental human right under international law, and states have an obligation to ensure this right, particularly in times of crisis. Humanitarian law prohibits the destruction of water infrastructure during conflicts and requires that clean water be made available to all. WASH programs should work in coordination with local governments to progressively raise national water and sanitation standards, even in settings where they may be lower than international benchmarks. Protection is another essential consideration in WASH interventions, ensuring that vulnerable populations—especially women, children, and people with disabilities—have safe access to water and sanitation facilities.

6. Hygiene Promotion and Disease Prevention

Hygiene promotion plays a critical role in preventing the spread of waterborne diseases. Simply distributing hygiene items or providing educational messages is not enough; interventions must consider local customs, behaviors, and risks. By working with communities to design hygiene strategies, WASH programs can ensure that individuals adopt practices that reduce the risk of disease. Key measures include safe handwashing, proper disposal of waste, and safe water handling practices. Monitoring the incidence of waterborne diseases and adapting hygiene promotion activities as needed is crucial for keeping public health risks low. Providing essential hygiene items, such as soap and menstrual hygiene products, in a timely and accessible manner is a fundamental component of WASH interventions.

Conclusion

Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene is not only a basic human right but also a critical factor in preventing disease and ensuring the dignity of those affected by crises. The Sphere Minimum Standards for WASH offer a comprehensive framework for delivering effective WASH interventions, grounded in the principles of humanitarian aid and the right to life with dignity. Through essential activities such as promoting good hygiene, providing safe water, and ensuring adequate sanitation, WASH programs aim to reduce public health risks and protect vulnerable populations. Community engagement, integrated approaches, and adherence to international legal frameworks are key to the success of these interventions. Ultimately, WASH programs contribute to building healthier, more resilient communities, capable of recovering from crises and maintaining their well-being over the long term.

Source:

Sphere Association. (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian charter and minimum standards in humanitarian response (4th ed.), pp. 89-156. Sphere Association. https://spherestandards.org/handbook

#WASHStandards #HygienePromotion #WaterSanitation #HumanitarianAid #PublicHealth