Daily Times

KARACHI: 39,000 deaths were due to Diarrhoeal diseases among children aged under 5 years in 2015 In Pakistan, Out of which 22,900 deaths were caused by poor washing among children, a fresh report said.

These figures have been released in a fresh report “WASHwatch” by WHO and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation. WASHwatch is a platform for collaboration set up by WaterAid with support from End Water Poverty and funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, for the benefit of all sector partners.

As per report 81 out of every 1,000 births less than 5 Mortality Rate – 2015. Similarly stunting rate remained 45 per cent of in children Under 5 till year 2012.

As per the report life expectancy at birth in Pakistan remained at 66.183 Years till 2014.

“Monitoring progress within the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector is essential to ensure that globally, regionally and nationally we are all on track to achieve the goal of reaching everyone everywhere with water and sanitation by 2030,” said Abu Rehan, representative of WaterAid in Pakistan.

On the sanitation side, 67 per cent of the people had access to sanitation in 2015. The report says, “63 per cent of population has access to improved sanitation during same period of time while 68 million people are lacking access to improved sanitation.”

However there is a difference between urban and rural regarding between sanitation coverage. “83 per cent of urban population has access to improved sanitation, while only 51 per cent of the rural population has access to the facility in same period of time.”

The report says, 13 per cent of the population has no access to toilets and they defecate in the open.

On the availability of drinking water, 91 percent of the country’s population had access to water till 2015. The report says, “16 million people lack to “Improved” dirking water making the percentage 91.

There is slim difference between provision of improved water when it comes to urban and rural supply. The report says, “93 per cent of urban population with Access to “Improved” Water whereas 89 per cent of rural population is having access to the facility in year 2015″.