Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Salvadoran households, 2021

Abstract

Introduction. Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is essential for public health and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6. The availability of these services is a priority issue, as poor management of these services can increase the incidence of disease. Objective. To identify water, sanitation and hygiene conditions in Salvadoran households during the year 2021. Methodology. A descriptive study was carried out using data from the National Health Survey of El Salvador 2021. A total of 16 585 households were analysed using 79 variables related to access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Classification criteria based on the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) methodology were used. Results. A total of 67.2 % of the households had safely managed water service, while 29.1% had basic service, 1.5 % had limited or unimproved access, and 0.6 % relied on surface sources. In sanitation, 76.7 % of the dwellings had improved sanitation facilities, while 12.6% had limited sanitation and 6.7 % had unimproved sanitation. Open defecation was still practiced in 1.9% of the dwellings. In terms of hygiene, 85.5 % of households had hand washing facilities with soap and water, but 3.1 % did not have adequate facilities. Conclusion. There has been progress in access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, but significant inequalities persist, especially in rural areas.