Issue, 37, Hygiene and Sanitation, published on January 2009.

Hygiene and Sanitation

Hygiene and sanitation is a fundamental building block in the fight against world poverty. That’s why the international community has committed to reduce the number of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015, as part of the Millennium Development Goals.

Likewise in Cambodia, the lack of good sanitation and hygiene practices is one of the factors contributing to poor health and poverty, and blocking the efforts of the Royal Government in national economic development. Thus, during the first National Forum on rural sanitation and hygiene organised by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) on 13-14 November 2007, the Prime Minister declared 13 November as National Sanitation Day.

Having no latrine to safely contain and dispose of feces contributes to water and land pollution, causes higher rates of disease transmission, leads to indignity and loss of population welfare, and has a range of other indirect effects which affect overall economic and social development.

Diseases have many costs. Besides the increased health care costs, sickness takes adults away from their daily work and children lose their school time. Inadequate toilets and hygiene standards at schools are thought to cause higher rates of school drop-out and welfare loss, especially among girls. Poor sanitation and hygiene practices are an obstacle to the achievement of the anticipated growth rate in tourist numbers, causing environmental and water degradation, disease, and threatening food safety.

However, affordable and practical solutions are at hand. These include focusing first on stopping open defecation; investing in hygiene promotion and social mobilisation, at community and household level; and providing affordable toilet designs.

If we want to break the stranglehold of poverty, and reap the multiple benefits for health, we must address sanitation.

Dr. Lim Thai Pheang
Director
National Centre for Health Promotion
Ministry of Health