The second meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Caucus was held at the Assembly Secretariat Conference Room under the chairmanship of Provincial Minister for Public Health Engineering Fazal Shakoor Khan. The meeting brought together Members of the Provincial Assembly, Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Syed Waqar Shah, representatives of UNICEF, UET Peshawar, and senior officials from the Local Government, Irrigation and Public Health Engineering departments.
The meeting reviewed progress on access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with particular focus on the province’s WASH policies, legislation and institutional coordination.
Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Syed Waqar Shah highlighted the significance of the WASH Caucus, noting that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s WASH Caucus is the first of its kind in Asia and the seventh parliamentary caucus of its kind globally. He also noted the growing recognition of the initiative at the national level, including interest in adopting a similar parliamentary mechanism at the federal level.
Provincial Minister for Public Health Engineering Fazal Shakoor Khan expressed concern over delays in the approval of the Drinking Water Policy, Sanitation Policy and related legislation. He directed the Local Government, Irrigation and Public Health Engineering departments to coordinate closely, address outstanding concerns and submit a consolidated report by 17 September 2026.
During the meeting, UNICEF WASH Specialist Dr. Muhammad Masood Alam and other technical experts briefed participants on the province’s WASH situation. The meeting was informed that approximately 73 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water at household level, while around 10 percent of the population continues to practise open defecation. The discussion highlighted the associated health risks, particularly for children and women.
The technical briefing also highlighted opportunities for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to mobilise climate and environmental financing through stronger sanitation and wastewater management policies, including potential access to Green Climate Fund financing and carbon credit mechanisms.
Members of the WASH Caucus, including Ikramullah Ghazi, Mian Sharafat Ali, Shazia Tahmas Khan and other Members of the Provincial Assembly, contributed to the discussion and emphasised the need to address disparities in WASH service provision between rural and urban areas. They also called for clearer institutional responsibilities among relevant departments and strengthened parliamentary oversight of WASH service delivery and policy implementation.
The meeting further agreed that the administrative secretaries of all relevant departments would ensure their personal participation in future WASH Caucus meetings to strengthen coordination and follow-up. The Local Government, Public Health Engineering and Irrigation departments were directed to resolve their outstanding concerns regarding the WASH policies and submit their final reports by 17 September 2026.
It was also agreed that the next meeting would include a briefing by the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) on the latest sanitation equipment and vehicles available for service delivery. The Public Health Engineering Department will provide an update on the Sanitation Policy, while the Irrigation Department will brief the Caucus on progress regarding the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Water Act.
The meeting reaffirmed the role of the WASH Caucus as a platform for strengthening parliamentary oversight, inter-departmental coordination and policy dialogue to advance water, sanitation and hygiene priorities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.