The impact of COVID-19 on sanitation behaviour in lower-income settings
Panellists:
Sumitra K, Lead, Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office, Niti Aayog
Raman VR, Head of Policy, WaterAid India;
Nicolas Osbert, Chief, WASH, Unicef India;
Ruhi Saith, Senior Consultant, OPML India;
Meera Mehta, Executive Director, Centre of Water and Sanitation, CEPT Research and Development Foundation
Chair: Marie Gaarder, Executive Director, 3ie
Time: 4:00pm- 5:30PM
Appropriate hygiene behaviours are our best defence against the COVID-19. We are all encouraged to stay home and wash our hands. But, how does this goal interact with the dominant message of the Swachh Bharat mission: use toilets. The pandemic may reverse the impressive sanitation behaviour change achieved by SBM as many will now stop using public toilets. This impact will be the largest among the most vulnerable populations, which may have limited access to toilets of their own. This panel discussion will assess the impact of the pandemic on the gains achieved by the Swachh Bharat Mission.