Chapter 2. Sanitation and the Private Sector: Opportunities and Challenges Sanitation has many similarities to water, chief among them their shared and mutual relationship to public health—access to and use of adequate sanitation is crucial to protecting the quality of drinking water. In addition to pollution of water sources through agriculture, livestock and other animals, poor FSM and sanitation is one of the largest contributors to poor quality drinking water, due primarily to contamination from microbiological pathogens prevalent in improperly managed wastewater or fecal sludge. The F Diagram that follows illustrates some key pathogenic pathways, and how different interventions (water, sanitation, and hygiene) contribute to creating a barrier between humans and environmental pathogens. As can be seen, in addition to hygiene, sanitation can provide a key protective barrier between humans and pathogens by blocking contamination pathways.
Routes of fecal disease transmission and protective barriers
Sanitation
Clear water supply
Hygiene
Fluids
Fingers Feces
Food
Future victim
Flies
Fields/ floors
Figure 2: F Diagram showing contamination pathways and barriers (Source: World Bank) Although there are numerous similarities, and W&S are usually combined in many projects, there are some subtle differences between W&S with respect to how their markets work and what role government might play to support the growth of these markets. Some key differences are highlighted in the table below.
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