The Liberian government must prioritise clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene for people across the country, if Goal 6 – the provision of clean water and decent sanitation for everyone everywhere – is to be reached by 2030, in Liberia.
WaterAid Liberia is urging the government to take action ahead of the UN’s High Level Political Forum in New York in July, where Goal 6 will come under review.
Without water, decent sanitation and good hygiene, other Sustainable Development Goals, including those on gender equality, education, health, reducing inequalities and nutrition, cannot be achieved.
WaterAid warns without access to these basic amenities, men, women and children in Liberia will remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and disease, while being denied their basic human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Across the world 844 million people still do not have access to clean water and 1 in 3 people still live without adequate sanitation facilities.
According to the 2017 Joint Monitoring Report on the “Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitationand Hygiene”, sanitation coverage is 9 percent among the richest quintile but just 1 percent among the poorest quintile.
WaterAid says urgent action to finance water and sanitation, to integrate it with efforts on health, nutrition and other related development, and to make progress sustainable is essential to reach everyone, everywhere.
Faster progress on all three will save lives, boost development and change the lives of billions of people living in extreme poverty globally.
For every US$1 spent on water and sanitation, on average $4 is returned in economic benefits.
Chuchu K. Selma, Deputy Country Director WaterAid Liberia and Sierra Leone, said:
“We are at a critical juncture in the fight to get clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene to the people of Liberia and across the world.
“We know that if everyone, everywhere was able to access clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, then we could help end the scourge of extreme poverty and create a more sustainable future. But we have to act now to make this a reality. The Liberia government must prioritise water, sanitation and hygiene – the basic building blocks of any prosperous community –ensuring proper financing is put in place to build a more sustainable country today and for future generations. The people of Liberia will be watching.”
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