Peshawar, 10 August 2026: The Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa formally commenced the work of its WASH Caucus with its first inaugural and introductory meeting, bringing together parliamentarians, government departments, development partners and WASH stakeholders to discuss priorities for improving water, sanitation and hygiene services across the province.
The meeting provided an important platform to familiarize Members with the mandate and role of the Caucus and to discuss key challenges facing the WASH sector, including safe drinking water, water quality, sanitation, wastewater management, climate resilience, financing and interdepartmental coordination.
A key emphasis of the meeting was on making the Caucus an action-oriented parliamentary platform, with Members highlighting the need for stronger parliamentary oversight, evidence-based policy making and coordinated action among departments working across the WASH sector.
The forum also discussed the importance of strengthening the policy and regulatory framework, including the Water Act and Provincial WASH policies, improving WASH financing and ensuring that public investments translate into sustainable services for communities. Members called for consolidated data on WASH projects, functional and non-functional water supply schemes, water quality, sanitation facilities and district-level needs to support informed parliamentary deliberation.
The role of WASHNet, supported by UNICEF and hosted within the Planning & Development Department, was highlighted in strengthening coordination, information sharing and linkages among government departments, development partners and the Provincial Assembly. WASHNet will continue to support the Caucus through knowledge management, coordination and evidence-based information to facilitate informed parliamentary engagement.
The meeting concluded with key decisions to convene the WASH Caucus at least once every month, place WASH-related legislation, policies and regulations on the agenda of forthcoming meetings, and strengthen parliamentary oversight of WASH programmes and projects through briefings and progress reviews with concerned departments.
The inaugural meeting marked an important step towards sustained parliamentary leadership and coordinated action for improved and sustainable WASH services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.