The NGO, CWSA Calls For Urgent Action
By Alfred Kollie, alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
Liberia is losing USD 17.5Million annually due to poor sanitation cost mainly, access time, premature death, productivity losses, and health care, says the governance lead on Countywide Sanitation Activity (CWSA), Peter Wisdom Fayiah,.
“CWSA’s Annual Household Survey reports the number of people practicing open defecation as 329,168 (64.3% of households). The survey uses a random sample of communities in each CWSA target county – Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Bassa, and Rural Montserrado,” he disclosed.
Open defecation is defined by Wikipedia as “the human practice of defecating outside (“in the open”) rather than into a toilet. People may choose fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals, or other open spaces for defecation. They do so either because they do not have a toilet readily accessible or due to traditional cultural practices.”
Mr. Fayiah noted that it is more difficult and costly to precisely value these costs but estimated or excluded from the above analysis, which impacts the true cost of the current sanitation situation in Liberia.
Epidemic outbreak costs: Economic implications of outbreaks (i.e., cholera) go beyond the immediate health system response, productivity loss and premature death are additional costs, Funeral costs, and this cost is in addition to premature death, and is typically a responsibility of households. In Liberia, annual sanitation-related funeral costs are approximately USD 122,000.
Water pollution, the impact of unsafe fecal sludge on water resources, affecting water supply and treatment for drinking and domestic uses, is not included in the cost estimation due to limited data and cognitive development: Early childhood diarrhea contributes to stunting and malnutrition which can result in long-term cognitive development among others.
He maintained that data show that there is low priority given to WASH (and specifically sanitation) at all levels of the government, limited commitment to increasing financing for sanitation through WASH allocations and political will for improved sanitation are all lacking.
But speaking Wednesday February 28, 2024 at a one day engagement meeting with current members of WASH legislative Caucus and Sector MACs on Capitol Hill, the Chairperson of WASH Legislative Caucus, Grand Bassa County district #5 Representative Thomas A Goshua II assure WASH CSOs and partners that there be no business as usual and that they can count on them in making sure that the standing committee on WASH is establish at the legislature.
‘’ You can be assure that the standing committee on Hygiene and WASH is establish and will be part of our rules and adopted to have a direct over sight. The 55th legislature will take key priority in sanitation’’ Representative Goshua noted.
According to Representative Goshua, he as chairperson of the WASH Legislative caucus will lobby with colleague to have all one hundred and three lawmakers’ part of the caucus nothing that sector is important and will be one of the focus areas.
Currently, the WASH Legislative caucus has twenty members including the speaker and deputy speaker with engagement to add others to get involved in the issue of WASH.
He said under his leadership, he will make sure that WASH has a specific budget line in the national budget
He noted that now is the times for Liberian to take WASH in their own and not to depend on donors funding as usual.
In remarks, H. Boweh Barduae, Executive Director, of Compassion for Humanity or C4H Liberia, at WASH Legislative Caucus and MACs Engagement Meeting, held in the Conference Room of the House of Representatives said the gathering was intended to share perspectives on sector challenges, particularly inadequate budgetary appropriation, fragmentation of responsibilities, absence of standalone policy, and to deepen understanding on the need for establishing the Standing Committee on WASH at the Legislature and how oversight and fiduciary responsibilities at the level of the Legislature remain key to addressing sector challenges, etc.
He narrated that the meeting demonstrates not only your collective passion and interest to put WASH issues at the top of the national development agenda, but to also give due attention matched with strong political action towards addressing WASH under the ‘sanitation pillar’ of the ARREST Agenda of the new seated Liberian Government.
‘’As stakeholders in the sector, we have come to make a case for the sector in order to inform your legislative agenda and actions in the best interest of the Liberian people. We know that the legislature has a critical role to play in holding government institutions responsible for WASH accountable for results, while at the same time ensuring appropriation of sufficient public resources towards WASH activities. However, as crucial as this role is, the legislature, in keeping with its inner workings, can only perform this role more effectively through a standing committee. Notwithstanding as it stands today, some members of the legislature, referred to as WASH Caucus, have been advocating for WASH issues at the national legislature but with limited authority in as much as they are just a caucus and not a standing committee.
As you begin your constitutional duties in the 55th Legislature, especially, the three cardinal legislative functions of law-making, representation and oversight, we seek your support to advocate for the advancement of the WASH Sector. We commit ourselves with you, and through you, the membership of the 55thLegislature for the establishment of WASH Standing Committee at the legislature’’ He explained.
The Executive Director of C4H Liberia on behalf of his institution appreciated the role, contribution, partnership, and time in sponsoring the establishment of the Standing Committee on WASH at the Legislature, supported by adequate budgetary appropriation of at least 1% of the national budget beginning fiscal year 2024.
The meeting was organized by Compassion for Humanity (C4H) Liberia, in collaboration with the Liberia WASH Network, an umbrella body of civil society organizations involved in the WASH sector held under the theme: “A Call for Action for Improved Sanitation [wash] Governance.”
In November 2023, PSI-led with funding from its back donor, USAID awarded C4H Liberia a grant to implement a project titled: Legislative Engagement to Formalize the WASH Caucus into a Standing Committee in the National Legislature”.
This grant contributes to CWSA’s result area one: “improved sanitation governance” and result area 4.2 “increased financing for sanitation.” One of the deliverables under Milestone II of the C4H grant entails engagement meetings with diverse stakeholders, such as you, Members of the WASH Caucus as policy-makers and senior officials and representatives of the MACs as executors of policies in the sector.