Uganda is facing challenges in its pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which aims to ensure universal access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene by 2030. Experts have expressed concerns about the country’s progress, or lack thereof, in meeting this important global goal.
When compared to other East African countries within the East African Community (EAC) bloc, Uganda’s performance ranks the lowest among 163 countries. Kenya leads the group at 118th place, followed by Rwanda at 124th and Tanzania at 130th.
The Uganda Water and Sanitation Network (UWASNET) Executive Director, Yunia Musaazi, spoke to the media ahead of the 13th WASH Annual Civil Society Organization Forum, emphasizing that the government has not made significant investments to realize SDG 6. Musaazi pointed out that approximately 15.7 million Ugandans lack access to safe water supply, with only 16 million practicing handwashing. Shockingly, over 10 million people have no access to any form of sanitation, leading to open defecation in some areas.
Several districts in Uganda, including Terego, Pakwach, Zombo, Dokolo, Bulisa, Koboko, and Ntoroko, are among the worst performers in terms of access to clean water and sanitation. Musaazi also highlighted that over 1,640 healthcare facilities in the country either have limited or no access to water within their premises.
It’s worth noting that in 2015, world leaders adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. According to UWASNET, Uganda is on track with SDG 12 and 13 but falls behind on the rest.
Musaazi acknowledged that Uganda has developed strategies that are 90 percent aligned with SDGs. However, she urged the government to pause and reflect on SDGs to ensure the 2030 agenda can be attained.
Betty Mwsabe from Water for People added that the situation of safely managed sanitation in Uganda, standing at 66 percent, is alarming, leaving 34 percent of the community without access to proper sanitation facilities.
Globally, statistics from Unicef show that 2.2 billion people do not have adequate access to safely managed drinking water, and 400 million people still practice open defecation. Climate change further exacerbates these challenges, contributing to nearly 4,000 deaths from diseases related to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene, with 1,000 of these deaths attributed to climate change impacts.