The impact of a climate-related disaster on sanitation coverage in rural Chiradzulu District, Malawi, pre- and post-Cyclone Freddy

Background: Climate-related disasters, such as extreme rainfall and flooding, pose a significant threat to progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Everyone (W4E) programme aims to reach universal WASH coverage in Chiradzulu District by end of 2024. Traditional Authority (TA) Likoswe, a programme area in Chiradzulu District, Malawi, achieved Open Defection Free (ODF) status in December 2022 following a Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) intervention. In March 2023, Cyclone Freddy caused widespread damage to essential infrastructure in Chiradzulu District. Using routine monitoring data from implementing partners, this study compares sanitation coverage in TA Likoswe pre- and post-cyclone Freddy.Methods: Longitudinal household surveys completed at baseline and one year follow-up of the W4E programme were used to estimate changes in household sanitation coverage according to global standard indicators before and after Cyclone Freddy. ODF status verification data was also used to estimate sanitation access at baseline. The analysis quantified climate-vulnerability of sanitation infrastructure.Results: Of the 311 households surveyed at both baseline and endline, 5% had basic sanitation, 3% limited, and 92% at least unimproved prior to Cyclone Freddy. Sixty-eight percent of sanitation facilities, primarily unimproved facilities, collapsed due to the cyclone. At follow-up, 36% of surveyed households had no sanitation facilities and 50% had unimproved sanitation three months post-cyclone. Of the 211 households with a collapsed latrine, 43% rebuilt an unimproved sanitation facility three-months post-cyclone. Discussion and conclusion: Sanitation facilities that do not meet global standards for SDG targets are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which are expected to increase in frequency and intensity. Programmes that aim to achieve universal sanitation coverage need to address the environmental sustainability of sanitation infrastructure, even in settings which have reached high levels of sanitation coverage.