Situation Analysis of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Kenya - Research Paper Example

? Situation Analysis of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Kenya 19-03 Situation Analysis of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Kenya Clean DrinkingWater: Kenya together with other nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals in 2001 and under its provisions Kenya aimed to increase the access to improved drinking water. As the source of drinking water is an indicator of its, therefore in an effort to improve the quality of drinking water the government of Kenya has attempted to establish safe sources throughout the country.The government has issued a list of reliable sources of safe drinking water which includes piped source within a dwelling or plot, public tap, tube well or borehole, protected well or spring, and rainwater. In acordance with recent statistical data, tremendous disparities exist between the supply of clean water to urcan and rural areas of Kenya. Table 1: Household Access to Improved Drinking Water Sources of improved drinking water Urban Households Rural households Total Urban Population Rural population Total Improved source of Water 89.3 53.8 63.0 89.7 53.1 60.2 Pipped water into plot 22.8 4.7 9.4 24.4 3.5 7.5 Tube well or borehole 6.7 9.5 8.8 5.6 9.7 8.9 Protected dug well 4.7 11.6 9.8 5.1 12.9 11.4 Protected Spring 1.6 10.2 8.0 1.9 11.0 9.2 Rainwater 0.6 2.7 2.2 0.7 2.4 2.1 The situation in Kenya pertaining to the provision of improved drinking water can be analysed from the table. The table shows that 63% of Kenya’s population (3 out of 5 households) has access to imporved water source which means that 37% of the population has an access to unclean and unhygienic water supply. The table shows that tremendous disparities exist between rural and urban households because 91% of the urban households have an access to improved water source as compared to only 54% of the rural households. One third of the households have an improved water source at a distance of within 30 minutes while more than third of the households have an improved water source at their premises. On the other hand, a large proportion of the population accounting for about 31% has to travel at a distance of more than 30 minutes to get safe drinking water. Huge disparities exist between the places of residence which is evident by the fact that 65% of the urban households have safe water source at their premises compared with only 26% of the rural households. As far as the treatment of water supply is concerned, only 45% of the Kenyan households treat their water supply with chemicals or heat inorder to increase its safety and purity. The major method used in the treatment of water is boiling and is used by more than 29% of the households. On the other hand, 18% of the households rely on bleach or chlorine to disinfect water and make it suitable for drinking purposes. A similar case of disparities is evident in this aspect as well; water treatment methods are more common in urban households (57%) than among rural households (40%). (Demographic and Health Survey, 2008-2009). Sub-national Data: Major shifts have been observed in the last two decades pertaining to the proportion of global population using various types of improved drinking water sources. The proportion of global population using piped water supply on premises (improved water source) has increased drastically over the past few years. In the year 2010, 54% of the world population used piped water supply on premises as a source of drinking water as compared to 45% in 1990. A shocking fact is that the use of piped water supply area grew faster in rural areas as compared to urban areas and accounts for about 18% in 1990 to 29% in 2010. Furthermore, the reliance on surface water was reduced to half of what it was in the last decade. The reliance on surface water in 1990 was 10% in rural areas of the world and it decreased to 5% in 2010, while in urban areas the reliance was 6% and it decreased to 3% in the year 2010. Kenya is included in the list of ten countries without an appropriately improved drinking water supply. By 2010, 54% of the world population was using piped water supply on premises while the situation in Kenya was unfortunately not improved as drastically and only 7.5% of the population had access to piped water. In accordance with the Progress Report on Drinking Water and Sanitation 2012 Update, rural areas around the world showed a faster increase in the access to improved source of drinking water, however, the situation in Kenya is quite the opposite and immense disparities exist between rural and urban areas. (Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation 2012 Update., 2012). Sanitation Facilities: Kenya shares another Millennium Development Goal with other countries which is the provision of adequate sanitation facilities to its residents. A household is regarded as having an improved sanitation and toilet facility if the use of the toilet is limited to one household only and is not shared with individuals of another hosuehold. Another important aspect in the determination of the quality of sanitation facilities is that at any point human waste should not come into contact with humans or food products. (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitering Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, 2004). Table 2: Household Sanitation Facilities Urban Households Rural Households Improved Facility 29.8 20.1 Non-improved Facility 70.1 79.8 Table 2 shows that only 29.8% of the urban households have improved toilet facility i.e not shared while on the other hand, only 20.1% of the rural households have improved, not shared toilet facility. A large number of households have non-improved toilet facility which includes all shared toilet facilities, shared pit latrines, hanging toilets or no toilet at all. 70% of the urban households have shared toilet facilites as compared with 79.8% of the rural households. (Demographic and Health Survey, 2008-2009). Sub-national Data: The current progress of the world pertaining to the provision of improved sanitation facilities is so slow that it is quite unlikely that it would meet the MDG sanitation target by 2015. Worldwide, 63% of the population has an access to improved sanitation facilities and a large number of this figure acounts for people residing in developed and industrialized countries. Kenya along with other underdeveloped countries has been off the track and their sanitation facilities have not improved as they should have been if the world has to meet the MDG sanitation target by 2015. (Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation 2012 Update, 2012). WASH-Associated Disease Burden: The data pertaining to WASH associated disease burden reveals that in Kenya the major water borne diseases fall into the category of diarrheal diseases. In Kenya, water borne diseases are quite common due to inadequate access to clean drinking water and defective sanitation system. The poor personal, domestic, or agricultural hygiene plays a major role in the transmission of WASH associated diseases from one individual to another. (Pruss et al 2002). The pathogenic mircobes that are the causative agents of water borne disease spread directly from contaminated water. In Kenya, the WASH related disease burden is particularly very high in the rural areas as compared to the urban areas because a higher percentage of urban population has access to improved drinking facilities and proper sanitation facilities. Apar from diarrhea, the other most common water borne diseases are Amebiasis, cholera, guinea-worm disease, and giardiasis. In accordance with DHS 2008-2009, 72.7% of the children affected with diarrhea de to improper sanitation and access to unclean water received Oral Rehydration Therapy treatmen while the rest of the children received alternative treatment methods or no treatment at all. The sanitation and hygiene related diseases are far more prevalent in Kenya than most of its neighbouring countries. The sole reason responsible for high incidence of sanitation and hygeine related diseases in Kenya are the inadquate governmental efforts pertaining to the provision of improved sanitation and hygeine facilities. The most common disease related to inadequate sanitation and improper hygeine in Kenya are ringworm infection, scabies, and soil transmitted helminthiasis. A major role is played by improper sanitation in the transmission of insect borne diseases because stagnant and dirty water serves as breeding grounds for insects like mosquitoes. The most common insect borne diseases in Kenya are Malaria, dengue, rift valley fever, yellow fever, and onchocerciasis. (Global WASH-Related Diseases, 2011). Water Resources: Kenya has significant internal renewable water resources. Kenya possesses 17 cubic Km of surface water produced internaly, and 3 cubic Km of ground water recharge. The total internal renewable water resources are 633 cubic Km. Water inflow from other countries accounts for about 10 cubic Km. Kenya’s production of desalinated water is nil. Kenya has a total of 20 threatened fresh water fish species. (Water Resources). Water Management Services in Kenya: In the year 2011, 8.1 milion Kenyans received water services from 62 urban water services providers (WSPs). In other terms, 40% of the urban population was served by the WSPs or 21% of the total population. In Kenya, over the last four years urban water coverage has been increasing at a rate of 5%. However, a much higher growing rate is required to accommodate the increasing population of Kenya which is expected to reach 19 million till the year 2020. In the current situation, it is not difficult to imagine that Kenya would not be able to achieve its national target for access to safe water of 80% in urban areas and 75% of rural areas by the year 2016. The Water Service Providers provide water supply and sewerage services by acting as agents of eight regional Water Services Boards (WSBs). In order to accommodate more of the urban and rural population, it is essential that WSBs provide more infrastructures to ensure the delivery of clean drinking water to a larger number of Kenyans. Furthermore, Water Services Providers should consider the prospect of undertaking investments themselves because it would not only result in leveraging surplus revenue but will also free up financial resources. Moreover, taking up investments in the future will allow the generation of revenue at the WSPs level which will inevitably capture cash flows from the consumers directly, thus the overall situation of water services can benefit drastically. At present, Kenya’s private sector is playing a negligible in role in the provision of clean drinking water and in the improvement of sanitation services. The considerable liquidity within the financial sector has paved way for increased interest in financing creditworthy water and sanitation projects. (Financing Urban Water Services, 2011). References: Demographic and Health Survey 2008-2009. (http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pdf/FR229/FR229.pdf). Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation 2012 Update, UNICEF & World Health Organization. (http://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/resources/JMP-report-2012-en.pdf). Estimating the Burden of Disease from Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene at a Global Level. By Annette Pruss, David Kay, Lorna Fewtrell, and Jamie Bartram. (http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/global/en/ArticleEHP052002.pdf). Global WASH-Related Diseases and Contaminants 2011. (http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_diseases.html). Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems-Kenya. (http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/wat_cou_404.pdf). Financing Urban Water Services in Kenya 2011. (http://www.wsp.org/wsp/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/WSP-Financing-Urban-Water-Services-Shadow-Ratings-Kenya.pdf). Read More