Access to safe water, decent toilets, and good hygiene have a direct impact on a person’s quality of life. Lack of the above leads to a disease-riddled life that eats up time and energy that should have been invested in education and livelihoods. It’s only when health and well-being are not a persisting concern that communities can focus on development. That is why we work hard to achieve SDG 6 – “clean water and sanitation for all.”

Water For People India has positively impacted more than 1.2 million lives through initiatives in community drinking water and sanitation, WASH in public institutions, and market-led approaches to sanitation. During 2008-2018, our programs have positively impacted over 150 Gram Panchayats and peri-urban areas, building on collaborations with communities, local governments and private players.

Real Community Development Is
Possible With WASH

The ripple effects of safe water cannot be over-emphasized. While safe water is important, taking ownership and maintaining that water point for posterity is key to solving the water crisis.

OUR ON-GROUND RESULTS FOR WASH INITIATIVES

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Establishing and Sustaining Safe Drinking
Water Services

  • Reached 500,000 people through drinking water points, piped water supplies, and water filtration units – all sustained by local communities.
  • Replenished 862 million litres of water since 2013.
  • Formed and strengthened 2,500 Water User Committees with 53% female membership

Increasing Sanitation Coverage

  • Supported 100 robust enterprises to help construct 45,000 latrines.
  • Trained local youth as Nirmal Bandhus (toilet cleaners), benefitting 522,147 students and teachers across 1,160 schools.
  • Built 32 community toilets for 10,000 slum residents in Kolkata Municipal Area, West Bengal.
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Motivating Better Hygiene Behaviour

  • Conducted multi-disciplinary shows, water-related film screenings, and street plays and magic shows to reinforce positive behaviours reaching 1.25 million people.
  • Educated mothers at Anganwadi centres on critical hygiene practices like handwashing and the link between sanitation and nutrition.
  • Capacitated Swacchagrahis, frontline teams, school students and committees, and Panchayati Raj Institutions on improved hygiene behaviours.
  • Trained artiste groups who are now associated with government departments to promote social messages.

Innovations

  • Developed AtWhatCost, a tool to help determine capital and operational expenses for prolonging the life of water facilities.
  • Trained local youth as Jalabandhus (mobile handpump mechanics) to reduce downtime of defunct water facilities from 24 days to less than two days.
  • Incorporated Sustainable Services Checklist to improve the allocation of human resources for WASH, finance water facilities, and maintain drinking water facilities.

Reaching the Last Mile

To accelerate universal sanitation coverage, the most vulnerable groups must be prioritised. Thus, most of our programs are focused on districts with low human development indices and aspirational districts of Niti Aayog. Water For People India has also implemented activities to increase the earning capacity of marginal farmers as a means to fast track the focus on water and sanitation. In all, 2,337 livelihood loans and 2,582 sanitation-related loans have been disbursed to marginal farmers to increase their livelihood options and encourage them to build Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs).

Making WASH Sustainable

To emphasise the importance of sustainability, Water For People India has developed a training and capacity building module to support sanitation enterprises in expanding their services and businesses.

Further, an e-Catalogue has been developed in partnership with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS) to promote locally appropriate sanitation technologies. We are also collaborating with national-level universities like Jadavpur University and other subject matter specialists to develop low-cost technologies for faecal sludge management.

Together with the local, state and national government of India, Water For People India is committed to reaching important milestones in its journey towards providing high-quality drinking water and sanitation services for Everyone Forever.