The water, sanitation and hygiene situation in the Central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan

Abstract

One of the objectives of sustainable development is water, sanitation, and hygiene, or WASH. Developing countries, however, continue to face the difficulty of sophisticated WASH. There are disparities regarding how the WASH project for sustainable development is being implemented among different administrative units. In the three central districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan---Charsadda, Mardan, and Nowshera---the current study sought to evaluate the relative WASH conditions. Using a structured questionnaire and simple random sample, data in the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) domains about WASH was gathered. Composite indices for each domain (knowledge, attitude and practices) and an overall composite WASH index were calculated. Based on the WASH index values, the results showed that Nowshera had a relatively better WASH status than Mardan and Charsadda. The study's findings suggested that while a sizable section of the study region may have access to enough water and toilets, attention should also be paid to the water's quality and the toilets' outlets.