Interdepartmental Coordination is Crucial to Resolve WASH and Sanitation Issues: Tanveer Raheem

Quetta (Staff Reporter):
HOPE Balochistan, under the “Rising for the Rights: Strengthening Civil Society Networks in South Asia for Achieving SDG-6. and in collaboration with FANSA Network and Water & Sanitation Network Quetta, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, organized a significant event at the Quetta Press Club to promote inclusive WASH solutions and community-led accountability.
The event was attended by senior officials from the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, SAFA Quetta, the Public-Private Partnership project, and other relevant stakeholders. The core objective was to share the findings of recent community-led social audits and strengthen coordination between citizens and government departments on pressing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Secretary of the PHE Department, Mr. Tanveer Raheem highlighted the growing challenges arising from the lack of effective communication between government institutions and the public. He appreciated HOPE Balochistan’s efforts for playing a vital role in bridging this gap and termed the initiative a positive and much-needed step.
Mr. Raheem acknowledged that while provincial departments possess the capacity and commitment to address public concerns, structural challenges such as inconsistent budget allocations and partial funding of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) schemes often delay developmental work. He informed attendees that, considering citizens’ hardships, a new clean drinking water supply project has been initiated in Quetta with support of World Bank, along with ongoing efforts to construct water storage dams.
National Project Coordinator and Head of Programs at HOPE Balochistan, Mr. Zahoor Ahmed, provided a detailed overview of the R4R Project and the current WASH situation in Quetta and surrounding areas. He stated that despite global technological advancements, many citizens in Balochistan still face immense challenges in accessing safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities.
He further added, that HOPE Balochistan, through the R4R initiative, with the support of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has mobilized trained volunteer teams across Quetta to conduct community-level social audits, to identify gaps, and raise awareness among people about sanitation and hygiene practices. A critical issue raised during the event was the lack of a formal system for human waste disposal.
Mr. Ahmed pointed out that in many urban areas, household waste pipes are directly connected to open sewerage systems, which frequently overflow during light rainfall, contaminating streets and increasing the risk of waterborne diseases. He added that in rural Balochistan, the practice of open defecation remains common due to the absence of toilets, posing a serious threat to public health.
Mr. Ahmed emphasized that HOPE’s continuous advocacy and coordination with government departments has led to progress on WASH policy implementation. However, he urged that long-term improvements depend not only on the government’s efforts but also on the community’s responsibility to adopt hygienic practices and construct proper sanitation facilities to ensure waste is managed safely and sustainably.
Earlier in the project, four community teams formed by HOPE Balochistan visited several neighborhoods in Quetta to monitor development schemes. Their findings were shared at the event through Social Audit reports, presented by members of the Water & Sanitation Network Quetta, including Mir Bahram Lehri (President of the network), Muhammad Hussain, Shezan William, Mir Bahram Baloch, Sadiq Sumalani, Muhammad Shoaib, Neelam Aziz, Abdul Waheed Siddiqui, and Sahibzada Atiq.
Officials from PHE, WASA, SAFA Quetta, and the Public-Private Partnership project appreciated the teams’ efforts and assured that the identified issues would be taken up with relevant departments for timely redressal.
The event was also graced by senior officials from the PHE Department, including Mr. Ishrat Khan, Mr. Syed Mazhar Ali and Mr. Salman Ali, along with representatives from SAFA Quetta and the Public-Private Partnership Project.
To conclude the event, commemorative certificates were distributed among participants in recognition of their active involvement in promoting community engagement and contributing toward improved WASH governance in Balochistan.