He said that good sanitation was crucial for people’s health and financial prosperity and countries economic growth, a lot has been achieved during MDGs era by the South Asian countries with Pakistan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka achieving MDG sanitation target, however, still 500 million people in South Asian countries defecate in open. He said that the rate of open defecation remains higher than those of other poorer countries and region in the world. He said that the diseases spread by poor sanitation kill hundreds of South Asian children each year and stunt the physical and cognitive development of those who survive. Mushahidullah said that considering the importance of the water and sanitation, the government recognised sanitation and water as key priority areas under Vision 2025 strategy. He announced that eighth South Asian Conference on Sanitation will be held in India in 2020.

Source: Pakistan Today April 13, 2018 19:30 UTC