The right to water and sanitation is a human right. Adequate drinking water, sanitation and hygiene all make contributionsto health. The water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector seeks to guarantee this right for all, even in times of crisis.WASH is more than ‘just’ water. It addresses hygiene, water supply, sanitation (excreta management and solid waste management)and vector control. It also relies on expertise from a range of fields, including engineering, public health, communicationsand behaviour change. In this section, vector control will not be addressed because there is little information on the relevanceof this sub-sector to persons with disabilities.
The need for water varies based on the living environment. With respect to persons with disabilities, the sector must considervarious factors, such as whether the context is urban or rural, the crisis is due to conflict or natural hazard, and whethersocial and religious practices influence the uses of water.
In addition, water use affects protection. Armed conflict and inequity affect water security for individuals and groups. Competingdemands for water, for consumption and domestic and livelihood purposes, can cause protection concerns. Personal protectionand safety also play a central role in WASH responses, recognizing the risks that are associated with water collection, waterpollution, defecation, and menstrual hygiene management.233
See the section on Protection. The Health and Education sectors should ensure that WASH stakeholders draw on this section when they deal with WASH concerns in schools and healthcentres.
WASH plays a key role in ensuring the well-being of people, including persons with disabilities and their families, who mayneed to access extra quantities of water as well as extra or specific hygiene-related items, and have reliable access to waterand sanitation infrastructures. Persons with disabilities who live in isolation or in institutions, or who are not includedin mainstream services, such as education, may be excluded from WASH-related information and therefore be at higher healthand water-related risks, which can be life-threatening for them and their families.