Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
5. By investing in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives, societies can make significant progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals related to health, water, and sanitation. Explain. (250 words)
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Down to Earth
Why the question:
The article discusses the impact of unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices on child mortality, specifically reporting on a WHO report that highlights the number of deaths of children under the age of five attributed to inadequate WASH conditions in 2019.
Key Demand of the question:
To develop a link between WASH and its impact on achieving SDGs.
Directive word:
Explain – Clarify the topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by giving context.
Body:
Give brief about the WASH status in India and its impact.
Bring the link between impact of poor WASH outcomes. Highlight how apart from the food intake, factors such as contaminated drinking water, poor sanitation, and unhygienic living conditions negative affect the development of the humans. Cite data from WHO and NFHS-5 to substantiate your points.
Mention few initiatives taken up by the government in this direction to address this chronic issue and further steps that are required achieve SDGs.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
