Water Sanitation and Hygiene interventions should not sidestep persons with disabilities

Lovemore Lubinda, Harare, Zimbabwe

Ruramai Chidembo (43) of Mabvuku, a high density suburb east of Harare, Zimbabwe is on wheelchair, she struggles as she tries to get the borehole handle to her level, until a score of young girls came running trying to beat each other to the water source, they get the water before her, fortunate enough, though without even sensing her plight, the little children left the handle within her reach.

“Although people usually help me fetch the water, the over dependency on them compromises my liberty in the community as a human being. It makes me a subject of pity who always needs assistance.

In fact, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Africa need to be empowered through Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions that take into account of their needs in infrastructure designing and development,” she said.

Social analysts believe emergencies such as during water shortages that are not equally accessible by PWDs is a limitation, discriminatory, and undermines their ability to benefit from the intervention on equal footing with other members of the society.

Disability, HIV and AIDS Trust (DHAT) Executive Director, Phillimon Simwaba, says issues of hygiene, health, and sanitation in the SADC region and Africa should not be a complete topic without taking into account the existence of PWDs because it affects all humans regardless of physical appearances.

He said lack of full engagement by all citizens in planning such developments may result in some sections of the population failing to fully benefit.

“It is worrying that even ‘Blair’ toilets in most African rural areas are built in a way that makes it hard for someone on wheelchair. This leaves them with no option than to craw inside on their hands touching excreta that could have spilled on the floor, owing to lack of local authorities, villagers’ coordination in infrastructure development,” he said.

Simwaba also said that there is need to make public facilities like health centres in rural areas accessible to PWDs, saying lack of accessibility to these facilities by parent(s) with disabilities also compromises children’s basic right to education as they are forced to stay away from school regularly visiting health centres to seek medication for their disabled parent(s).

Endless Possibilities, an organisation that advocates for the inclusion PWDs in all aspect of life, founder, Edmore Masendeke, concurs, saying WASH interventions should always have PWDs as their focal areas more so in urban centres where populations are expected to rise gradually because of rural to urban migration.

He said currently, most water, sanitation and hygiene programmes in the region are sidestepping PWDs.

“It is disheartening to note that most African cities, Harare included can only have few public toilets that are accessible to people on wheelchairs,” he said.

Masendeke claimed that a number of toilets in these cities have either narrow entrances or lack ramps, further exacerbated by the element that the hand washing facilities within such infrastructures, are not PWDs user friendly.

He added that PWDs face widespread lack of accessibility to built environments from roads, housing, public building, and spaces and to basic urban services such as sanitation, water, health, emergency response, and resilient programmes.

The recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pursue to achieve a set of goals. Goal number 6 seeks to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. The goal is underpinned on trying to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, support and strengthen local communities for improving water and sanitation management by 2030, among other things, paying particular attention to the needs of women, girls and those in vulnerable situations such as PWDs.

Meanwhile, while officiating at the 2016 World Water Day in Harare in March this year Manyame Acting Catchment Manager, Engineer Alois Katsande said water is a resource whose strategic importance speaks to every aspect of life.

“Management of water resources then calls for collective efforts from all citizens, children, those in adulthood, and equally important the elderly who hold vast knowledge from time passed from generation to generation,” he added.

Zimbabwe’s Disabled Persons Act of 1992 defines a disabled person as one with a physical, mental or sensory impairment. These include visual, hearing or speech functional disability, which give rise to physical, cultural or social barriers that inhibit them from participating at an equal level with other members of society activities.

World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that people with disabilities constitute 15 percent of Zimbabwe’s population of over 13 million, which is a great proportion. The above statistics reveals that PWDs account for over 1.9 million people, a population too large to ignore.

The United Nations (UN) data shows that it was estimated that there were more than approximately 80 million PWDs in Africa in 2010, which have obviously grown larger to date because of the rising populations.
According to the WHO reports in 2015, about 40% of the world’s population lack basic sanitation. Analysts therefore believe that without putting great efforts, commitment, and political will in integrating the needs of PWDs in Rural or Urban WASH programmes, it is hard to achieve SDGs targets by 2030.

On 3 December, every the world commemorates the International day of PWDs, promoted by the UN since 1992, with the aim to promote understanding of disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights, and wellbeing of PWDs.