Putting animals on the WASH agenda

Animal species are an integral part of the systems that supply our drinking water and ensure that we live healthy lives. Yet, interventions to promote water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) often fail to consider animals’ roles, needs, and impacts on the services and implications of WASH systems for animals with whom we share water sources.

This policy brief proposes pathways to help WASH policymakers, practitioners, and researchers address risks and opportunities at the animal-human-water interface. It shows that WASH programmes applied simultaneously to humans and animals are likely to provide more sustainable results than those centred on humans only and help achieve outcomes in every aspect of life fuelled by water.