Sustaining Sanitation Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Source: UNICEF
Date: July 30, 2021
Concrete steps to maintain the sustainability of sanitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic
Just as water is a daily necessity, we cannot stop using sanitation facilities – even during COVID-19 or natural disasters. Nevertheless, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many challenges that impact the provision of sanitation services to households, in particular pit-emptying services. Meanwhile, there is a potential risk of transmission if the risk mitigation measures are not appropriately followed when providing services.
A rapid assessment was conducted in 2019 in collaboration with Bappenas, PU and FORKALIM (Association of Sanitation Service Providers) to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the provision of sanitation services. Building on the findings, this practical guidebook was jointly developed with Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) and Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR) in response to the needs of local governments and service providers to address the identified challenges.
In the spirit of sustainable sanitation services, it is expected that the guidebook could inspire local governments and service providers to use the COVID-19 pandemic as momentum to improve the quality and safety of their services, both during and after the pandemic.
