This presentation presents the status of Good Health and Well-Being (SDGS Goal 3) in Nepal with a special focus on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) issues.

1. Role of Youth in Good Health & Well-Being
Involving young people in SDGs implementation through volunteerism
Pragya Lamsal
Researcher & Development Professional
E: lamsalpragya@gmail.com
T: @pragyalamsal
Participatory Training on Promotion of Youth Volunteerism for the SDGs in Nepal
UN Volunteers Nepal
26 January 2018

2. Status of WASH in Nepal: Water
 Drinking water: In 2016, 95% have access to an improved source of drinking water
 Sixty-nine percent of households have drinking water on their premises
 5% of households spend more than 30 minutes to obtain water
 Water treatment practice: Appropriate treatment practices are followed more often in
urban areas (30%) than in rural areas (12%)
 Only 23% of households follow appropriate water treatment practices prior to drinking.
 Source of water: The most common source of drinking water in Nepal is a tube well or
borehole (36%), followed by piped water (33%).
 Improved sources of drinking water: Include piped water, public taps, standpipes, tube
wells, boreholes, protected dug wells and springs, rainwater.
(Source: Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016)
[But some civil society organizations and independent groups believe that the access to
improved source of drinking water is lower than government data]

3. Status of WASH in Nepal: Water
Source: Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016

4. Status of WASH in Nepal: Sanitation
 Sanitation: Substantial improvements in use of improved sanitation facilities in
past 5 years. Households using improved facilities is 62% in 2016.
 Households without toilet facilities: Fifteen percent of households have no
toilet facility (21% in rural areas and 11% in urban areas). The percentage of
households was 36% in 2011.
 Diarrhoea and toilet: The percentage of children under age 5 with diarrhea
varies according to the availability of toilet facilities. It is lowest among those
who have access to an improved toilet facility (7%) and highest among those
who have an unimproved toilet facility or practice open defecation (10% each).
 Improved toilet facilities: Include any non-shared toilet of the following types:
flush/pour flush toilets to piped sewer systems, septic tanks, and pit latrines;
ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines; pit latrines with slabs; and composting
toilets.

5. Status of WASH in Nepal: Hygiene
 Eighty-one percent of the households had a fixed place for hand
washing, and 19% had a mobile hand washing place. Forty-seven
percent of households used soap and water, while 20% did not
have water, soap, or any other cleaning agents in place for hand
washing
 Fifty-seven percent of urban households had soap and water available for
washing hands, as compared with 31% of rural households.
 Thirty-nine percent of households in the mountain zone and 34% of
households in Province 2 did not have water or any cleansing agents for
hand washing.
 Thirty-nine percent of households in the lowest wealth quintile did not have
water or any cleansing agents for hand washing.

6. Status of WASH in Nepal: Menstrual Hygiene
 In Nepal, approximately 290,000 women and girls in Nepal menstruate every
day (Nepal Fertility Care Center, 2014)
 The practice of isolating women during their period exists across the country in
differing forms.
 A 2009 WaterAid Nepal’s study in central and eastern parts of Nepal, involving
204 adolescent showed that about 89% of the respondents practice some form
of restriction or exclusion during period
 With majority of Nepali women living in rural areas, use of archaic, unhygienic
and possibly dangerous menstrual hygiene management methods is a normal
practice.
 Many girls still remain absent while menstruating due to lack of separate toilet
& privacy, unavailability of sanitary disposal facilities, water shortages.
 Nepal has banned the practice of banishing menstruating women and girls to
sheds. But the practice is still in practice especially in far-west.

7. SDGs Goal 3: Targets (by 2030)
 Maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births, neonatal mortality to 12 per 1,000 births
and under-5 mortality to 25 per 1,000 live births
 End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis,
water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases
 Reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases
 Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and
harmful use of alcohol
 By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
 By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services
 Achieve universal health coverage, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe,
effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines
 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air,
water and soil pollution and contamination
 Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control in all countries, as appropriate
 Provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines
 Strengthen the capacity of all countries for early warning, risk reduction and management of national
and global health risks

8. Challenges of health & well-being in Nepal
 Gap between rural and urban areas in terms of water, sanitation
and hygiene facilities
 Cultural and religious excuse to continue inhuman practices like
Chhaupadi
 Lack of acknowledgement of health and well-being as human
rights issues
 Gender gap in both access and preference for health and well-
being facilities
 Lack of resources and technical expertise to ensure quality health
service
 Integrating grassroots issues in policy formulation process

9. Role of Youth for Health and Well Being
 The role of youth in relation to health and well-being should focus
on:
 Promoting mental and sexual health, sport, physical activity and healthy
lifestyles
 Preventing and treating injury, play role to raise awareness on road safety
 Educating nutrition and food security issues
 Play role for access to WASH, promoting health and hygiene for women;
especially menstruating women
 Promoting cooperation and collaboration between schools, youth workers,
health professionals and sport organisations
 Making health facilities more accessible and attractive for all;
 Ensuring teamwork, intercultural learning and responsibility for health and well
being of all

10. While engaging in advocacy and
campaign, we should always remember
that there is no advantages of making
enemies. Our enemies are not
humankind but social evils and ills that
restricts our rights.

11. Thank you