Climate change and resilient WASH in South Asia

Hanifa, 25, fetching water from the stream which is contaminated with salt, in Thatta, Sindh Province, Pakistan. Photograph by Kulsoom
Image: WaterAid/ H&M Foundation

 

Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is the foremost resilience measure for climate change adaptation in the long run as well as an emergency response to get life back on track after an extreme weather event or a disaster. Although WASH is an important reactive strategy for disaster response and a proactive measure for the reduction of disaster risks, it has not got due attention as a key adaptation strategy to climate change.