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Governments, non-profit organizations, and private entities have been working to create inclusive environments, provide access to essential resources and services and promote equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.听

These efforts aim to enable persons with disabilities to live full and independent lives, participate in their communities, and contribute their talents and abilities to society, especially in the face of climate change.

On 20 April 2017, 173 countries ratified the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).听

Apart from ensuring availability of accessible amenities and infrastructure, it is imperative to establish ample听water storage facilities听for achieving water security and for managing hydrological variability, particularly for persons with disabilities.

Created in 2007, the convention enshrines rights such as inherent dignity, individual autonomy, nondiscrimination, full and effective participation, accessibility and equality of opportunity, for persons with disabilities:

• Article 9 requires access to the physical environment and public spaces and services in rural and urban areas.听
• Article 19 focuses attention on living independently and inclusion by addressing equity in needs-responsive community services and facilities.听
• Article 28 zeros in on adequate standards of living and social protection.

It requires State Parties to ensure access to clean water services that are appropriate and affordable.

SDG 6 represents a key strategy for enfranchising persons with disabilities. It promotes access to water and sanitation for health (WASH) for all. Specifically, it requires that persons with disabilities can access WASH to ensure that 鈥渘o one is left behind.鈥� To achieve SDG6, WASH programmes must be both disability-inclusive and disability-accessible.

\Supporting the objectives of WASH, SDG 10 advocates for the 鈥渞eduction of inequality within and among countries,鈥� mandating the social, economic and political inclusion of all people, including persons with disabilities.

Governments, development agencies and community-based organizations that oversee water resources and delivery, must听develop harmonized inclusive policies听and a regulatory framework for accessibility standards, guidelines, specifications and audits

Numerous organizations are helping to realize the ambitions of CRPD and SDGs. Each has implemented inclusive projects that enable persons with disabilities equal access to water and sanitation.

According to听Make It Count: Guidance on disability inclusive WASH programme data collection, monitoring and reporting, (UNICEF 2021)), persons with disabilities have the same rights as any other person, including WASH.

For example,听in Nigeria听under the WASH program, Bungudu Primary School built accessible latrines and hand-washing stations to accommodate children with disabilities. The project has improved sanitation and eradicated barriers that children with disabilities face at the school, where water and sanitation facilities had not been easily accessible.

In Madibunhana, in central听Mozambique,听the World Vision听International has ensured that persons with disabilities can access water through听rehabilitated and modernized boreholes with incorporated ramps, allowing 220 households to independently access adequate water. In addition, 70 inclusive wells and three water systems deliver clean and safe water to听communities, as well as the provision of material subsidies for the construction of inclusive latrines.

Progress, however, is not uniform.听In Kenya, students with disabilities still have not enrolled in the Kenya Water Institute. The institute offers a program that builds plumbing knowledge and expertise among youth in all the 47 counties. The situation is creating a dramatic deficit of inclusiveness in the plumbing industry.听

Three key changes needed for disability-inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene:

First,听apart from ensuring availability of accessible amenities and infrastructure, it is imperative to establish ample听water storage facilities听for achieving water security and for managing hydrological variability, particularly for persons with disabilities. As households experience rising demand for freshwater and climate change disrupts water cycles, storage is becoming more urgent than ever.

The World Bank recommends the听provision of sufficient financial and physical resources听to ensure that persons with disabilities have fair and equal access to affordable water sector services and programs. These can range from communal services like irrigation facilities and boreholes to public water taps and public latrines.

Not only do accessible water systems increase the amount of water available for persons with disabilities, improved regulation of water flow controls support a variety of ancillary services, such as hydropower and navigation.

Second,听governments, development agencies and community-based organizations that oversee water resources and delivery, must听develop harmonized inclusive policies听and a regulatory framework for accessibility standards, guidelines, specifications and audits. This will boost opportunities for effective coordination and partnership on disability mainstreamed water systems and infrastructure.

Moreover, we must include persons with disabilities in water resource management, stakeholder consultations and outreach activities.

As important, it is essential to empower persons with disabilities to take on leadership and management positions at the community, local, and national levels to foster innovative water solutions.

Third, the World Bank recommends the听provision of sufficient financial and physical resources听to ensure that persons with disabilities have fair and equal access to affordable water sector services and programs. These can range from communal services like irrigation facilities and boreholes to public water taps and public latrines.

Innovative fee structures, such as sliding-scale fees, loans, or grants to individuals or communities can provide financial assistance or relief. As such, we must entrust persons with disabilities to innovate and invent their own WASH solutions.

This is precisely what the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) supports: 鈥淕reen, resilient and inclusive development by strengthening protections for people and the environment and making intentional advances in areas such as labour, inclusion and non-discrimination, gender, climate change, biodiversity, community health and safety, and stakeholder engagement.鈥�

Moving forward

I recently served as a jurist for the United Nations Youth Water Challenge. In doing so, I observed that students with disabilities did not participate in the competition, let alone develop innovative skills. This experience underscores just one missed opportunity but made me wonder: 鈥淗ow many others have we missed?鈥�

In this era of hyper-technology, we possess abundant open data on water from myriad ubiquitous sources. Digital Earth Africa and its sophisticated water analysis tools is one example.听Ghana听offers a vision for what leveraging such a platform and applying data for building homegrown solutions could look like.

We have the technology and data, support of powerful international organisations like the United Nations and the World Bank, and a talented and eager population of persons with disabilities ready to lead.

So let us proceed with the complete establishment of inclusive water systems to ensure we achieve the sustainable global goals to which we all aspire.

Nancy Marangu is听Executive Director, Chemichemi Foundation, Kenya