A ceremony has revealed that Jacobabad's residents understand and are willing to address their water, sanitation and hygiene needs in a sustainable manner. This is evident from their willingness to pay for safe drinking water and other basic services after successful campaigning and the creation of City Forum, which demands efficient provision of safe, reliable, and easily accessible WASH services to the communities in the city.
However, capacity development of service providers remains an essential area to further work on. It was highlighted that behaviour change campaigns, social mobilization, and extensive capacity building exercises, when combined in one project can serve as an effective formula to address the water, sanitation, and hygiene needs of a city's residents.
The findings were revealed after the successful completion of a project that seeks to mobilise communities to improve Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in Jacobabad city. It is a collaborative effort between UNICEF, UN-Habitat and WaterAid, with funding from USAID, which aims to support the Sindh government in taking necessary steps to ensure the effective running of the Municipal Service Development Programme (MSDP) by taking public opinion into account in devising necessary actions.
The project brought forth interesting recommendation that the base tariff for water charges should not be kept higher than Rs 500, while overall charges should be divided into three specific quartiles reflecting people's willingness to pay. It further proposed that along with public sector efforts to provide solid waste management services, a public-private-partnership model should be developed to involve the community in this drive to improve lives in the city of Jacobabad.
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