KP Sharma

SNV Bhutan, in partnership with key stakeholders, celebrated 15 years of work in improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in rural Bhutan on November 21.

The milestone event highlighted past successes, ongoing progress, and a renewed commitment to providing safe, sustainable WASH solutions for all.

As a non-profit organisation with more than three decades of presence in Bhutan, SNV has worked with the Royal Government under a country agreement across sectors including agriculture, renewable energy, and WASH.

Over the last 15 years, SNV has played a crucial role in strengthening Bhutan’s sanitation and hygiene systems through leadership, policy development, and resource mobilisation.

According to SNV, the project followed a people-centered approach, focusing on localising interventions such as social mobilisation and behaviour change campaigns. This strategy has led to ownership of sanitation facilities and sustained changes in community behaviours.

Integrating Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) strategies, along with the “Leave No One Behind” (LNOB) principle, was key to reaching vulnerable groups through a “Do No Harm” approach. This ensured that marginalized communities, including women and people with disabilities, were actively involved in the program.

In addition, a harmonised, subsidy-free approach allowed local governments to prioritise support for vulnerable populations, while partnerships with civil society organisations (CSOs), the private sector and development agencies strengthened sectoral coordination.

The project enhanced the WASH monitoring systems through integration with the national Health Information and Management System and the development of the Water and Sanitation Information System (WaSIS).

As a result of the project, over 215,000 rural Bhutanese now have access to improved WASH facilities, leading to greater privacy and convenience, particularly for women and children. These improvements have also helped reduce WASH-related diarrheal diseases, contributing to public health, according to SNV.

Highlighting the success of the planned activities and programmes in Bhutan, the secretary for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT), Phuntsho Tobgay said that Bhutan had struggled in the past with communicable diseases due to poor sanitation and hygiene.

He said that to address these issues, the rural sanitation and hygiene programme was launched in 2008 under the Ministry of Health, adopting the zero-subsidy programme approach with support from SNV.

“While we have achieved a lot in terms of improved sanitation, the priority is to continue collaborating to sustain these achievements and further improve sanitation and hygiene,” he added.

The secretary added that with technical support from SNV and UNICEF, Bhutan has made significant progress in preventing diseases and improving the health of people in rural areas through various collaborations and strategies.

The Minister Counsellor of the Australian High Commission in New Delhi, Carly Partridge, said that the celebration marked a milestone, celebrating not only the number of projects completed but also their transformational impact. “Bhutan has taken extraordinary steps in improving sanitation and hygiene as well as providing safe drinking water, aligning with the concept of Gross National Happiness.”