Country Reports - Australia

Utilities Supporting Global Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene Efforts

February 2023

Country Reports - Australia

Utilities Supporting Global Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene Efforts

February 2023

For the last 18 years the Australian water sector has been helping change the lives of the world’s poorest and most marginalised people through their support of WaterAid Australia, a not-for-profit dedicated to improving worldwide access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Australians are blessed with some of the best water services in the world. But right now, 771 million people worldwide don’t have access to safe drinking water. It’s a frightening statistic, especially considering the population of the whole of Australia is just under 26 million. It is for this very reason that WaterAid Australia exists.

Founded in 2004 in collaboration with the Australian water industry and the international aid sector, WaterAid focuses on providing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

It works with local partners and governments to introduce safe and sustainable WASH services to these communities, ultimately hoping to reach a point where their support is no longer needed at all.

Work undertaken around the world

WaterAid is guided by a commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which lay out a plan for a better world by 2030. Of the 17 goals, its work specifically relates to Goal six, to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.

This goal is vital, both in itself and as a key contributor to other goals such as ending poverty, improving nutrition, securing good health, and quality education. The world is still a long way off reaching this goal, and progress so far has been far too slow.

Factors like climate change continue to exacerbate the problem with an increase in extreme weather events like flooding and droughts having a dire effect on WASH access in countries all around the world, including some of Australia’s closest neighbors.

WaterAid Australia fundamentally focuses its work in Papua New Guinea, where more than half of the population lacks access to basic drinking water, Timor-Leste, where more than two thirds of the populations don’t have a handwashing facility at home, and Cambodia, where almost one in four people do not have a decent toilet.

WaterAid has offices and local teams based out of each of these three countries, who work alongside local partner organizations, local and national governments, and communities, to advocate for WASH and ensure projects are undertaken in a contextually considerate way.

WaterAid is a firm believer that its best work is done when led by colleagues and communities in their own countries. While water, sanitation and hygiene are always at the forefront of WaterAid’s work, projects also focus on other critical issues such as climate resilience, gender equality, healthcare, and social inclusion for those living with a disability and other minority groups.

Patricia Mae Tagabe

https://utilitymagazine.com.au/