WASH situation in Pakistan

Know and act

National
WASH 89% 58% 60%
access Drinking Sanitation Hygiene
Percentage
of people
water
with access1

National 21 million 1947 2017 2047

water people lack
facts 5300
Per capita
access to clean 1000 <500 availability
water close to cm3 cm3 cm3 of water in
Pakistan3
home.2
Absolute
No stress Scarcity scarcity

Pakistan is among 90% 4 out of 10

the top 10 schools has
of drinking
countries with the no drinking
water is
greatest number
extracted from water.6
of people living
without access to the ground.5
safe water.4

79 million 11.5% National

people of people sanitation
lack decent defecate in the facts
toilets.7 open.8

1 out of 3 Only 8% of
schools is wastewater is
missing a treated, the rest
toilet.9 is released into
rivers and
drains
untreated.10
 National 46%
hygiene of the population
does not have a
facts handwashing
Rural Urban
facility at home 56% 26%
with soap and
water. 11

23% 57% 6%
of households of urban of rural
have a garbage households households
collection have a garbage have a garbage
system.12 collection collection
system.13 system.14
Privately Municipality Privately Municipality
6% 17% 9% 48%

Implications of unsafe
water, sanitation & hygiene

19,500 Improved water sources reduce

children diarrhoea morbidity by 21%; and the
under five die simple act of washing hands at
each year from critical times can reduce the number
related of diarrhoea cases by 35%. 16
diarrhoeal
diseases. 15

43% 50%
reduction in of malnutrition is
school associated with
absenteeism due repeated diarrhoea
to better health or intestinal worm
infections as a direct
by handwashing
result of inadequate
with soap.17 WASH. 18

45%
of children
under five are
stunted. 19
 National water coverage Coverage by ladder (% in 2015)21
Coverage by income status
(% in 2013)20
Safely Basic Limited Unimproved Surface
Poorest managed water

79.2* 9.4 8.5 3 35.6 52.9 2.7 6.3 2.5

Change in Coverage by Facility Type22

Safely Basic Limited Unimproved Surface Urban Rural
managed water
80
60
98* 1.3 0.4 0.3 Population
in millions
40
20 2000
Richest 0 2015
*The disaggregate information in not available for safely Piped Non-piped Piped Non-piped
managed and basic categories in JMP data

0.5
Access to drinking water by 78
sub-national variations* 4.7
(percentage)23 Gilgit 16.7
Baltistan
2.5
79.1
Khyber
Safely managed
17.2 Pakhtunkhwa
and basic 1.1
Limited

Unimproved

Surface water
Islamabad (ICT)
Punjab

1 98 3.7 93.8

0.7 2.5
0.3 0.01
Balochistan

17.3
60.3 Sindh

9.8
12.6
3 93.8

2.4
0.7
*Please refer to the description
of the ladder on the last page
National sanitation coverage Coverage by ladder (% in 2015)25
Coverage by income status
(% in 2013)24
Poorest Safely managed Basic
Open
Limited Unimproved defecation

0 18.1 7.3 11 63.7 0 58.3 8.4 21.8 11.5

Change in Coverage by Facility Type26

Safely Basic Limited Unimproved Open Urban Rural
managed defecation
40
30
Population
0 93 3.5 3.2 0.3 20 in millions
10 2000
Richest 0 2015
Improved Septic Sewer Improved Septic Sewer
latrine tank latrine tank
and other and other

0
0.8
Access to sanitation by 82.1
sub-national variations* 9.5
(percentage)27 Gilgit 7.6
0
Baltistan
6.7
65
Safely managed Khyber
7.9 Pakhtunkhwa
20.5
Basic

Limited

Unimproved

Open defecation
Islamabad (ICT)
Punjab
0 0

12.2 62.3 3.1 93.1

6.8 18.8 3.1

0.8
Balochistan

0
5.8
51 Sindh

14.5 0
28.6
7 56.5

9.6
27
*Please refer to the description
of the ladder on the last page
 Coverage by ladder (% in 2015)28 Coverage by National
income status hygiene
Rural (% in 2013)29
coverage
46.1 43.3 10.6 15.8 Poorest

40.4 Poor

66.4 Middle
Basic Limited No facility

85.6 Rich
83.2 12.1 4.6
94 Richest
Urban

Hygiene coverage by 68.6 20.3

sub-national variations*
11.1
(percentage)30 Gilgit
51.2 Baltistan
38.7 Khyber
Basic
10.1 Pakhtunkhwa
Limited

No facility

Islamabad (ICT)
Punjab

68.1 88.9

25.3 7.7
6.5 3.4

Balochistan

35
62.2 Sindh
2.8

49.9
47.6
2.5

*Please refer to the description

of the ladder on the last page
 Sanitation ladder 32

Safely managed
Use of improved facilities which are not
shared with other households and where
excreta are safely disposed in situ or
transported and treated off-site

Basic
Use of improved facilities which are not
shared with other households
Drinking water ladder 31
Limited
Safely managed Use of improved facilities shared between
Drinking water from an improved water two or more households
source which is located on premises,
available when needed and free from faecal Unimproved
and priority chemical contamination Use of pit latrines without a slab or platform,
hanging latrines or bucket latrines
Basic
Drinking water from an improved source, Open defecation
provided collection time is not more than 30 Disposal of human faeces in fields, forests,
minutes for a roundtrip including queuing bushes, open bodies of water, beaches and
other open spaces or with solid waste
Limited
Drinking water from an improved source for
which collection time exceeds 30 minutes
for a roundtrip including queuing

Unimproved Hygiene/ handwashing ladder 33

Drinking water from an unprotected dug
well or unprotected spring Basic
Availability of a handwashing facility on
Surface Water premises with soap and water
Drinking water directly from a river, dam,
lake, pond, stream, canal or irrigation canal Limited
Availability of a handwashing facility on
premises without soap and water

No facility
No handwashing facility on premises

1
WHO/UNICEF - JMP (2017). https://washdata.org/
2
WaterAid (2018). The Water Gap – state of the world's water in Water security, Equality and
non-discrimination. https://goo.gl/EZ9BR2
3
UNDP (2017). The Vulnerability of Pakistan’s Water Sector to the Impacts of Climate Change:
Identification of gaps and recommendations for action. https://goo.gl/UQXhET
4
WaterAid (2018). The Water Gap – state of the world's water in Water security, Equality and
non-discrimination. https://goo.gl/EZ9BR2
5
PCRWR (2017). Groundwater Investigations and Mapping in the Upper Indus.
6
Alif Ailan (2016). The State of Education in Pakistan: Alif Ailan Fact Sheet 2016
7
WaterAid (2017). Out of Order – The State of the World’s Toilets 2017. https://goo.gl/nuK4ou
8
WHO/UNICEF - JMP (2017). https://washdata.org/
9
Alif Ailan (2016). The State of Education in Pakistan: Alif Ailan Fact Sheet 2016
10
World Bank (2017). Country Water Resources Assistance Strategy Paper. http://hdl.han-
dle.net/10986/8343
11
WHO/UNICEF - JMP (2017). https://washdata.org/
12/13/14
MOCC (2016). Country Paper on Sanitation. Pakistan. SACOSAN VI.
15
WaterAid (2017). Out of Order – The State of the World’s Toilets 2017. https://goo.gl/nuK4ou
16
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Global WASH Fast Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-
water/global/wash_statistics.html#seven
17
Om Prasad Gautam (2017). Handwashing with soap: why should we care? WaterAid.
18
WHO (2008). Safer water, better health: Costs, benefits and sustainability of interventions to
protect & promote health. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241596435_eng.pdf
19
World Bank (2017). Child Undernutrition in Pakistan What Do We Know?
20-33
WHO/UNICEF - JMP (2017). https://washdata.org/