Exploring the important determinants of access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation in Punjab, Pakistan

Access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation is a fundamental human right and basic ingredient of public health. However, one of the major problems faced by developing countries in the twenty-first century is the lack of access to these facilities. Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan with more than 50% of the country's population, is no exception. Keeping in view its importance, the current study is an effort to investigate important determinants of access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation in Punjab to ensure the provision of these services to the masses. Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Household data from 2017 to 2018 has been used for analysis. The results of a logistic regression model revealed that household media exposure, education level of household head, household wealth status, and ethnic background of the household head are some of the important determinants of household access to safe drinking water. For household access to improved sanitation, along with these factors, the role of social norms and place of residence are also important. Particularly, the role of social norms is very profound. Findings from the study suggest that efforts should be made to provide readily available media access, household education level needs to be enhanced, policies should be made to raise the living standard of the poorest households, and the social norm for the use of improved sanitation needs to be promoted.