Contact:
Phone ++ 9771 4413670
email: ess@dwss.gov.np

The section is in operation as a focal unit for planning, programming, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of hygiene and sanitation related activities in the country taking overall responsibilities in establishing coordination with all the sectoral partner organizations and the concerned stakeholders. The district and community level sanitation activities are implemented by sanitation unit at Water Supply and Sanitation Division/Sub-Division offices of the department with technical support from the section.

The Steering Committee for National Sanitation Action (SCNSA), chaired by the Director General of DWSS and comprising of concerned line Ministries, Donors, I/NGOs and private sector, is an apex body, which is undertaking policy and planning level activities ensuring stakeholders' support. The Task Force (TF), a main working group consisting of the representatives from key WATSAN stakeholders and coordinated by the chief of ESS, plays a vital advisory role to the SCNSA to undertake hygiene and sanitation activities at all levels- policy, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. For which, the meeting of SCNSA /stakeholders and the TF are held on a regular basis to come up with key decisions in designing the course of action for hygiene and sanitation promotion. The section works as the secretariat of SCNSA.

With a continuous support of the member organization of SCNSA, notably UNICEF, WHO, RWSSFDB, NRCS, Water Aid, NEWAH and NAVIN; the section is launching National Sanitation Week Campaign (NSWC) annually since 2000 A.D. The campaign has been instrumental to motivate the communities to construct the latrines and other sanitary units on their own. NSWC is helping generate the spontaneous support of a broader section of the society—politicians, policy makers, planners, implementers, local bodies, schools, medias, CBOs, general communities - for promoting personal hygiene and environmental sanitation on sustainable basis. The campaign was initiated after launching of multi-year sanitation campaign on World Water Day in 2000 A.D.

The section is also supporting in the implementation of programs on community sanitation and School Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE) including their monitoring and evaluation. Besides, it is also involved in developing policy, guidelines, information education and communication (IEC) materials, program packages, and carrying out the research and development on the issues such as technical and social aspects on sanitation, impact studies, status survey, development of sanitation indicators, etc. Nepal State of Sanitation, a comprehensive document on sanitation developed for the first time in the country, was published in 1999/2000 with the persistent efforts of the section.

The section gives major thrust on promotion of hygiene and sanitation in innovative and creative ways. Currently, the section has developed the concept paper on School Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) to be compatible with the local contexts by adopting the concept of Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). Efforts have been made in maintaining uniformity in the different support modalities for hygiene and sanitation, which is a prominent issue being raised by many sanitation sector partners for years.