6.2 Rural WASH

In common with other developing countries, the majority of Ethiopian people live in rural areas where the social and economic infrastructures and services are less developed. According to the JMP (2014a), 82% of the Ethiopian population, more than 81 million people, reside in rural areas. The required effort to address the demand for water and sanitation for this many people is huge but, if successful, can significantly change the overall picture in terms of WASH services in Ethiopia.

In past decades, the Ethiopian government followed a development direction for WASH and other services that focused on rural areas, and this has brought encouraging results. Using these past experiences and lessons learned to capitalise on previous results, the OWNP includes rural WASH as one of the core components. Moreover, the OWNP will be implemented in all regions and districts, which should resolve disparities in rural WASH service coverage that have existed in the past.