Sanitation – Measures designed to protect public health, especially the provision of clean water and the disposal of sewage and waste

To remember the meaning of the term Sanitation, use the following mnemonic:

I got my sanity back and an ovation (sanitation) from my neighbours when I got rid of my rubbish and compost of poo and waste.

Basic sanitation is access to facilities for the safe disposal of human waste (faeces and urine), as well as having the ability to maintain hygienic conditions. This is achieved through services such as garbage collection, industrial/hazardous waste management, and wastewater treatment and disposal.

The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal (MDG) was to halve the proportion of people in the world without sustainable access to basic sanitation by 2015. It was not achieved.

Now, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is for everyone to have “adequate and equitable” sanitation by 2030.