IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute

This technical document presents an overview of initiatives that countries and WASH stakeholders are implementing in the COVID-19 response to ensure WASH services for all; in particular to secure and sustain access to WASH services for vulnerable groups as well as in schools and in health care facilities. Ensuring good hygiene and appropriate WASH practices for everyone, everywhere, will help prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

Initiatives were identified and mapped across 84 countries worldwide, and categorized into those that are aimed at promoting hand hygiene and strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC), those that seek to secure water and sanitation services for all, and those that provide technical and financial support to utilities. They have been also classified based on the level of implementation, distinguishing between measures being led by national/central state institution and measures led by sub-national/local level state institution, including sub-national emergency taskforce or non-state actor.

The mapping shows regional disparities between and within regions, and the level of activity found in the countries varies largely, both in terms of ambition and scope. Hygiene promotion and other IPC measures have been widely adopted, although not always matched in ambition with the assured availability of soap, water, and handwashing facilities. Support to vulnerable households at scale to promote basic access to WASH services is weak and needs additional focus, particularly in rural areas and small towns, and in schools, where acceleration of WASH preparedness measures for safe school reopening may be required. In addition, parallel support needs to be extended both technically and financially to service providers or to households themselves in the form of cash transfers, in order to ensure the financial viability of utilities and the provision of those critical services. Overall, preliminary findings presented herein are intended for WASH decision-makers and practitioners who want to better understand and contribute to COVID-19 prevention and response.