Addressing rural sanitation in Botswana

The Government of Botswana is implementing the first phase of a national rural sanitation programme, following from the success of a pilot project. The programme's objective is to contribute to the control of water and excreta-related diseases through improvements in sanitation infrastructure and personal hygiene at the household level. For many years, an impressive water supply programme has provided clean water to over 80 % of gazetted rural villages. By contrast less than 30 % of this population has access to formal sanitation. This programme aims to redress this lag.