Overview
The Provincial Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WaSH) Office was established in 2011, and formally incorporated into the West New Britain Provincial Administration as an implementing agency in 2018. The primary purpose of establishing the West New Britain Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) Office is to provide a dedicated institutional mechanism within the Provincial Administration to plan, coordinate, implement, and monitor WaSH services across the province in a consistent, sustainable, and accountable manner.
WaSH Office operation is guided by the following core governing legislations and polices:
- Public Health Act 19973
- National Health Administration Act 1997
- Environment Act 2000
- PNG Development Strategic Plan 2010-2030
- National Medium Term Development Plan IV 2023-2027
- National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Policy 2015-2030
- Provincial Integrated Development Plan III 2023-2027
Core Functions
The key functions of the Provincial WaSH Office are to improve overall health and quality of life in West New Britain Province through effective water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. These functions are:
- WaSH Management and Administration
- Water Supply Infrastructure Development
- Sanitation and Hygiene Infrastructure Improvement
- Community Engagement & Capacity Building
- Monitoring & Compliance
Key Responsibilities
The West New Briain Provincial WaSH Office is responsible for:
- The overall management of WaSH Programs in the Province
- Coordination and supervision of Districts’ WaSH programs
- Policy Formulation and Strategic Planning
- Strengthening partnership and collaboration
- WaSH Infrastructure implementation and maintenance support
- Community engagement and mobilization
- WaSH Data and information management support
- Monitoring and Compliance
Programs & Services
The WaSH Officeprovides the following programs and services:
- WaSH Management and Administration -This program focuses on managing and administering internal office programs and activities while providing general coordination and administration on WaSH programs implementation across the province. The management is also responsible for policy development and strategic planning while strengthening collaboration with development partners and stakeholders.
- Water Supply Coordination and Implementation– This program focuses on coordinating the implementation of Water Supply in communities to ensure that water is safe and accessible.
- Sanitation Improvement Program– This program focuses on delivering:
- Support for household and community sanitation facilities
- Sanitation improvement for schools and health facilities
- Promotion of improved and climate-resilient latrine designs
- Support Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)
- Hygiene Promotion & Behaviour Change Program – Services under this program are delivered through a collaborative partnership with the West New Britain Provincial Health Authority, other stakeholders, and development partners. These services are:
- Handwashing with soap campaigns
- Safe water handling and household water treatment promotion
- Integration of hygiene promotion into schools and health programs
- School WASH (WinS) Program -The program focuses on promoting WaSH in schools. Main services delivered under this program are:
- Improved water and sanitation facilities in schools
- Hygiene education and life-skills training for students
- Teacher and school board capacity building
- Support for the operation and maintenance of school WASH facilities
- Health Facility WaSH Program – This program focuses on promoting and improving WaSH in health facilities. Services delivered under this program are:
- Water supply improvements for aid posts and health centres
- Sanitation and waste management support.
- WaSH in Emergencies & Disaster Response Program – This program focuses on response to emergencies and disaster occurrences by providing the following services:
- Emergency WaSH preparedness planning
- Rapid WaSH assessments during disasters (volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts)
- Emergency water supply, sanitation, and hygiene support for displaced communities
- Coordination with Provincial Disaster & Emergency Services and National Disaster Centre
- Community Capacity Building & Institutional Strengthening Program – This program focuses on building communities’ capacity on managing and coordinating WaSH for sustainability and health purposes. Services delivered under this program promote gender equality and social inclusiveness; they are:
- Formation and training of community WaSH (WASTSAN) committees
- Operation and maintenance (O&M) training for local operators
- Support for by-laws, user agreements, and community-based management plans
- Monitoring, Evaluation & WaSH Information -The program entails for effectiveness and efficiency of all the WaSH Programs. It ensures that targeted deliverables for WaSH programs are achieved hence in par with governing legislations and polices. It is also responsible for maintaining and managing WaSH Information. Main services under this program include:
- Monitoring of service coverage and functionality
- Support for surveys, mapping, and baseline assessments
Structure & Leadership
The Office is headed by the Manager, who oversees teams responsible for specific functional areas, including:
- WaSH Management and Administration
- District WaSH Coordination and Supervision
- Water Supply Drilling Operations
- WaSH Construction, Installation & Maintenance
Strategic Focus
The WaSH Program Office is committed to:
- Effectiveness in WaSH Service Delivery across the Province.
- Strengthening Partnerships and Collaboration.
- Institutional Capacity Building and Sustainability.
- Community Engagement.
Milestone Achievement
The following are the milestone achievements under the WaSH Office since its inception in 2010.
- Procurement of WaSH Personnel, water drilling rigs, 220 hand pumps and 170water tanks
- Drilling and installation of 110 hand pumps
- Supervise delivery of 96 hand pumps for Nakanai District.
- Facilitate and support the delivery of Bialla Town Water Supply Funded by World Bank and co-financed by WNBPG.
- Facilitate and support the delivery of Talasea Ward 5 Rain Harvesting (Rain Catchment) Water Supply Funded by Caristas NZ & New Zealand Government and co-finance by WNBP.
- Delivery of 20 Reticulation system for various communities in West New Britain Province
- Contact Information
For enquiries related to WNB Provincial WaSH programs, please contact:
Division: Provincial WaSH Office
Phone: 675 9840817
Email: clement.bailey@wnbp.gov.pg
Location: Governors Hill, Portion No.64, Section, Kimbe Town, West New Britain Province