What Sanitation Depends On

Water supply is the most critical dependency for sanitation, as its absence leads to inadequate waste removal and hygiene facilities, exemplified by the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti, where lack of access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure resulted in over 9,000 deaths (WHO).

Key Dependencies

• Water supply — necessary for flushing toilets, washing hands, and maintaining hygiene facilities; without it, waste accumulates, and diseases spread, as seen in the 2010 Haiti cholera outbreak.
• Infrastructure — requires functional pipes, sewers, and treatment plants to manage waste and prevent environmental contamination; the 2014 Flint water crisis in the United States, where inadequate infrastructure led to lead contamination, highlights the importance of proper infrastructure.
• Energy — powers water treatment plants, pumps, and other equipment necessary for sanitation; the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan, where loss of energy caused a shutdown of water treatment facilities, demonstrates the critical role of energy in sanitation.
• Human resources — skilled workers are necessary for maintaining and operating sanitation infrastructure; the 2018 Gaza sanitation crisis, where shortage of trained personnel led to inadequate waste management, illustrates the importance of human resources.
• Financial resources — funding is required for building, maintaining, and upgrading sanitation infrastructure; the 2019 Venezuela sanitation crisis, where lack of funding resulted in deteriorating sanitation conditions, highlights the need for sufficient financial resources.
• Regulatory framework — a well-defined regulatory framework is necessary for ensuring compliance with sanitation standards; the 2015 India sanitation crisis, where inadequate regulations led to poor sanitation practices, demonstrates the importance of a regulatory framework.

Priority Order

The dependencies can be ranked from most to least critical as follows:

• Water supply, as its absence immediately affects hygiene and waste removal
• Infrastructure, because functional pipes and treatment plants are necessary for managing waste
• Energy, since it powers the equipment necessary for sanitation
• Human resources, as skilled workers are necessary for maintaining and operating infrastructure
• Financial resources, because funding is required for building and maintaining infrastructure
• Regulatory framework, which is necessary for ensuring compliance with sanitation standards, but can be developed and implemented over time.

Common Gaps

People often overlook the assumption of constant energy supply, which can lead to sanitation system failures during power outages, as seen in the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Another common gap is the underestimation of human resource requirements, which can result in inadequate maintenance and operation of sanitation infrastructure, as illustrated by the 2018 Gaza sanitation crisis. These oversights can cause significant problems, including environmental contamination and public health crises.