WHO WASH Initiative: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in India - Testbook

An Overview of WHO's WASH Initiative: Pursuing Global Clean Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Goals

• The WHO WASH Strategy was developed in response to Member State Resolution WHA64.4 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The strategy recognises the need for the progressive realisation of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, adopted by the UN General Assembly in July 2010.
• WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work 2019–2023 introduced two indicators to accelerate the Organisation’s work to increase access to safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in households.

You can check out UPSC 2023 related updates in the linked article.

The WHO has outlined a strategic plan for 2018-2025 to improve sanitation and hygiene conditions worldwide and provide sufficient, clean water for healthy living.

Here are the key objectives of the WASH initiative:

• Enhance the quality of drinking water to reduce human health risks.
• Monitor healthcare facilities to ensure safety and hygiene.
• Improve the safety of sanitation and wastewater management.
• Monitor data from the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS).
• Collaborate with multi-sectoral partners, lead or engage with global and regional platforms, and advocate for WASH.
• Integrate WASH with health and other programmes such as AMR, cholera, climate change, emergencies, IPC, NTDs, nutrition, UHC, water security to increase synergies and impacts.

Also, consider reading about the United Nations World Water Development Report .

The Status of WASH in India

• India, the world's second-most populous country, has about 60% of its population living in urban areas. This rapid urbanisation puts significant pressure on the country's water and sanitation services.
• As of 2014, due to limited access to functioning, safe toilets, 40% of the population defecated in the open, contaminating water sources. This has led to India having the world’s highest number of diarrhoea-related deaths in children under five.
• Several Indian and international organisations have partnered with the WASH initiative to address these safety and hygiene issues. Some of these include:
  • United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF )
  • USAID
  • United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP )
  • UN-Water
  • Welthungerhilfe India
  • WaterAid India, among others.
• WASH interventions in India adopt a rights-based approach to improve water and sanitation conditions through mass mobilisation. These efforts primarily target the rural and peri-urban populations.
• Two-thirds of India’s 718 districts are affected by extreme water depletion. The current lack of planning for water safety and security is a significant concern.
• Below are some key statistics announced by WaterAid and UNICEF:

Number of people in India without access to safe water:	Nearly 76 million
Number of people in India without access to adequate sanitation:	Over 770 million
Number of children dying from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation in India every year:	Over 140,000 children
Percentage of Indian households not treating drinking water even though it could be chemically or bacterially contaminated:	67 per cent

(source: welthungerhilfeindia.org)

Start your UPSC preparation now and excel in the upcoming examination. Refer to the links below for useful resources: UPSC Previous Year Question Papers Comprehensive News Analysis Daily Current Affairs Topic-wise UPSC Prelims Questions with Solutions Static GK

• UNICEF, in partnership with the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made significant strides in improving health and sanitation in India.
• To support states and districts that are lagging, UNICEF's WASH initiative operates in 16 states and 192 districts in India and provides support to the government.
• UNICEF also supports monitoring and evaluation efforts, including conducting third-party verification and spot checks, to help authenticate the real-time monitoring and information dashboard hosted by the Ministry Jal Shakti.
• UNICEF also plays a crucial role in flagship programs like the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), WASH in Schools (including preschools called ‘Anganwadi), WASH in health facilities, and district-wide WASH interventions.
• Inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in India’s health facilities contribute to the country's high neonatal mortality rate, currently standing at 24 deaths per 1000 live births.
• A survey conducted in 2013-14 on schools in India revealed that 22 per cent did not have appropriate toilets for girls, 58 per cent of preschools had no toilet at all, and 56 per cent of preschools had no water on the premises.

• According to their reports, until 2015, nearly half of India’s population of around 568 million people had to defecate in fields, forests, bodies of water, or other public spaces due to lack of access to toilets. By 2019, the number of people without access to toilets had been reduced by an estimated 450 million.
• In 2015, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) instituted the KAYAKALP scheme with support from UNICEF. The scheme recognises and rewards the excellence of health facilities in promoting cleanliness, thereby improving the quality of health care services.
• In 2016, UNICEF, along with the MoHFW and the erstwhile Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti), instituted the Swacchh Swasth Sarvatra (SSS) scheme.
• UNICEF’s technical support has been instrumental in enabling 40 high-priority districts to develop concrete action plans to institutionalise WASH in healthcare facilities during 2019-20.
• UNICEF has been a valued development partner for the Government of India and has played a key role in the revamping and implementation of the Government of India’s flagship National Rural Drinking Water Programme.
• UNICEF also supports the Swajal initiative, which seeks to enable communities to self-manage safe water sources within their habitations, through policy development, training of trainers, and communication campaigns.
• UNICEF has also supported the development of the national framework for benchmarking schools along 39 WASH indicators through the national school awarding system, Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (SVP).
• UNICEF India’s field offices are working at the state level to ensure that WASH in Schools is a key agenda for School Management Committees (SMC).

To learn more about Water Scarcity in India , visit the linked article.

• USAID partners with the Government of India to create healthier urban communities by increasing access to clean water and sanitation.
• USAID and the Government of India test and identify models for safe, affordable drinking water and sanitation services.
• USAID partners develop methods to make clean water available at a low cost, establish clean water kiosks and train community members in how to turn the kiosks into a profitable business.
• They also work with community members to design community toilets.

• A cleanliness survey supported by USAID helped government officials identify specific issues related to sanitation in 73 cities of India.
• 300,000 more people now have access to household toilets.
• 25,000 communities are open defecation free and healthier.
• 175,000 more people now have access to safe drinking water.
• USAID secured more than $5 million in funding from the private sector to implement WASH solutions identified by USAID and its partners.
• 42,000 toilets have been located on Google Maps.

Also, consider reading about India’s Water Crisis-Every Drop Counts

• Welthungerhilfe’s Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives have been implemented in Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh (MP) in India.
• Welthungerhilfe has been working in selected Indian states with the WASH initiative since 2011.
• Welthungerhilfe follows a two-pronged strategy to capacitate community leaders (Jal Sahelis and Jal Mitras) for their institutional development. This includes raising awareness on water security, sanitation and personal hygiene, as well as provision of various small drinking water supply schemes for safe and potable water to the targeted population.
• Welthungerhilfe implements the WASH activities in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources, River and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education.

• Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and School Led Total Sanitation (SLTS) techniques have been adopted to motivate people to take actions to free their areas from open defecation.
• Community-based institutions (WASH Committee, SHG) have been strengthened.
• Welthungerhilfe has initiated meaningful dialogue with the national and local government to provide more space for bottom-up planning. This is done through micro-planning at the village level and connecting it with the Panchayat level in India through a campaign called Jal Jan Jodo Abhiyan (People’s water alliance).

Also, visit Drinking Water-Quality & Challenges: RSTV

The image above displays the alarming situation of hygiene and sanitation in India. It shows the distribution of the population without basic hygiene facilities at home in Central and Southern Asia in 2017.

Going forward, India needs to adopt effective methods of water management and sanitation. If the consumption of unhygienic and unsafe water is not curbed in the coming years, India may face severe damage and deaths due to water-borne diseases, especially among children.

You can also read about Drinking Water-Quality & Challenges: RSTV

Stay updated with the latest UPSC Syllabus for the upcoming Civil Services Exam at the linked article.

Other Related Links
IAS Salary	National Water Mission	Environment And Ecology Notes For UPSC
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986	Environment & Ecology Questions in UPSC Mains GS-3	List of Environment Conventions and Protocols
United Nations (UN) Principal Organs	Environment and Ecology Questions for UPSC Prelims	GK Current Affairs Quiz