The Program on Basic Sanitation (HES) supports country efforts to provide infrastructure and services required by the population to meet their basic environmental health needs. The ctivities are aimed at:

Reducing environmental risks associated with diarrheal diseases by increasing access to water and sanitation services, improving drinking water quality, and strengthening the institutions of the sector.

Improving health and life quality conditions by increasing coverage of public cleaning services, strengthening responsible organizations, and upgrading waste final disposal.

Strengthening the capability of national institutions to face health and housing problems, as well as promoting the importance of a healthy housing and the stablishment of centers specialized in housing hygiene.

DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

HES supports actions oriented toward increasing coverage and improvement of drinking water quality and sanitation services, as well, it strengthens national capabilities for management; physical, organizational and financial planning; information systems; and development of human resources of the institutions of the sector. 

PRIORITY LINES OF ACTION

• To support the preparation of sector analyses and projects to mobilize national and external resources facilitating the development of the drinking water and sanitation sector, with emphasis on coverage increase and service quality improvement.
• To promote and support national reforms and modernization processes of the drinking water and sanitation sector by increasing the participation of the private sector to ensure sustainability.
• To support the development of the institutions of the sector.
• To plan and develop actions to improve water quality for human consumption. Particularly, to promote the implementation of national action plans to improve water quality and disinfection.
• To facilitate access to services by promoting and developing low-cost technologies, particularly for the more vulnerable populations of indigenous, rural and marginal urban areas.
• To promote the establishment of quality criteria and standards for drinking water provided by water utilities and monitored by health authorities.
• To promote the protection and improvement of water sources with special attention to water used for drinking, irrigation of crops that are eaten raw, food production and recreational purposes.
• To support the development of human resources for the sector.
• To promote treatment and sanitary reuse of domestic wastewater through simple and effective technologies that offer secondary benefits to make treatment financially viable.
• To support the establishment of systematic and permanent disinfection programs in public water services and at the household level.
• To promote the application of existing appropriate technologies, and to support the development of new technologies for laboratory tests, drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment.
• To facilitate the exchange of experiences to promote and support the development of information systems within the sector.
• To increase community participation in water and sanitation, specially in rural and marginal urban areas

SOLID WASTE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

HES strengthens national and local government capability to plan and manage with the community, health and life quality problems related to the environment and basic sanitation services (with emphasis on solid waste and housing).

It also strengthens national capabilities to lessen health risks associated with housing, as well as the capabilities of cleaning services for management, technical and financial planning, and human resources development. 

PRIORITY LINES OF ACTION

• To support the preparation of sector analyses and projects oriented toward national and external resources mobilization to increase coverage, improve service quality and waste disposal.
• To support programs to expand the coverage of collection, sweeping, transportation, treatment and final disposal of wastes, both at the national and operating agencies levels.
• To support the development of reform and modernization projects of the sector, and proposals for resource mobilization, including hospital waste management.
• To promote the implementation of solid waste recycling and reuse projects.
• To evaluate risks or impacts on health derived from solid waste interventions.
• To support the development and implementation of technologies appropriate to local conditions, to expand coverage and improve quality of cleaning and final disposal services.
• To promote the development of technologies for evaluation, analysis and quantification of wastes.
• To promote and support the establishment of an Inter-American Network of Health in Housing Centers, to offer technical advisory, development of methodologies, and courses.
• To support the development of methodologies and projects to achieve healthy environments (healthy housings, schools and municipalities) with community participation.
• To support environmental management actions for vector control.
• To promote among national housing authorities, the adoption of building standards that include health and environmental health issues.
• To support the development of pilot and demonstration projects for local interventions in housing improvement.
• To promote awareness and citizen participation related to health in housing. To further community participation involvement and the inclusion of the topic "environmental health" within the framework of "healthy municipalities", "healthy schools" and other similar initiatives.
• To evaluate health risks in housing derived from asbestos, paint containing lead, cottage industries, etc.
• To promote and support the implementation of regional and subregional actions in health and environment to strengthen national institutions of the sector (health initiatives in the Andean Area, South America, Caribbean).