This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from Ghana statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from Ghana statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other Ghana-specific metadata information.
| Goal |
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all |
|---|---|
| Target |
Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations |
| Indicator |
Indicator 6.2.1: Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water |
| Series |
Proportion of population using hand-washing facility with soap and water Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services [6.2.1] |
| Definition and concepts |
Definition: The Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services, including a hand-washing facility with soap and water is currently being measured by the proportion of the population using a basic sanitation facility which is not shared with other households and where excreta is safely disposed in situ or treated off-site. ‘Improved’ sanitation facilities include: flush or pour flush toilets to sewer systems, septic tanks or pit latrines, ventilated improved pit latrines, pit latrines with a slab, and composting toilets. Population with a basic hand-washing facility i.e a device to contain, transport or regulate the flow of water to facilitate hand-washing with soap and water in the household. Concepts: Safely disposed in situ; when pit latrines and septic tanks are not emptied, the excreta may still remain isolated from human contact and can be considered safely managed. For example, with the new SDG indicator, households that use twin pit latrines or safely abandon full pit latrines and dig new facilities, a common practice in rural areas, would be counted as using safely managed sanitation services. Treated offsite; not all excreta from toilet facilities conveyed in sewers (as wastewater) or emptied from pit latrines and septic tanks (as fecal sludge) reaches a treatment site. For the purposes of SDG monitoring, adequacy of treatment will initially be assessed based on the reported level of treatment. A hand washing facility with soap and water: a hand-washing facility is a device to contain, transport or regulate the flow of water to facilitate hand-washing. This indicator is a proxy of actual hand-washing practice, which has been found to be more accurate than other proxies such as self-reports of hand-washing practices. |
| Unit of measure |
Percentage (%) |
| Data sources |
Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) Round 7, 2019 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey(MICS), 2018 WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene |
| Data providers |
Ghana Statistical Service(GSS) World Health Organization (WHO) United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) |
| Rationale |
Access to safe sanitation and hygiene services is essential for good health, welfare and productivity and is widely recognized as a human right. Unsafe management of human excreta and poor sanitation practices are closely associated with diarrhea diseases, which exacerbate malnutrition and remain a major public health concern and a leading global cause of child deaths, as well as parasitic infections such as soil transmitted helminths (worms) and a range of other neglected tropical diseases. While access to a hygienic toilet facility is essential for reducing the transmission of pathogens, it is equally important to ensure safe management, treatment and disposal of the excreta produced. Lack of access to suitable sanitation and hygiene facilities is a major cause of risks and anxiety, especially for women and girls. For all these reasons, access to sanitation and hygiene services that prevent disease, provide privacy and ensure dignity has been recognized as a basic human right. As a result, the SDG indicator 6.2.1. (a) is designed to address safe management of sanitation services along the sanitation chain, including containment, emptying, treatment and disposal of waste. |
| Data availability and disaggregation |
There is no available disaggregation for this indicator. |
| References and Documentation | |
| Metadata last updated | Nov 13, 2022 |