United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

The number people practicing open defecation in India is more than 600 million. Though the access to improved sanitation has increased since 2000 the pace of change has been slow. If the current trend continues then it will be difficult for the country to meet its Millenium Development Goal for sanitation. Thus accelerating access to and use of toilets and hygiene practices have become a national priority.

This report by the Centre for Governance and Budget Accountability (CGBA) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), India, attempts to assess the magnitude of public spending on sanitation in India, specifically on the Total Sani

This country-level report on the assessment of drinking water supply and sanitation in India is the result of a collaborative exercise between the Planning Commission of India, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the

As part of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), the Ministry of Rural Development under the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission and UNICEF have brought out a compedium that details the various sanitation technologies available to above and below poverty line households .

The authors have divided the report into three subjects - the first being the need for household sanitation and the extent of the problem in rural India. The second section looks at sanitation technology in general with a focus on rural areas and technologies for different conditions. The third part deals with operation and maintenance of  such technologies  and  includes a chapter on components of a toilet.

This booklet about the work of Exnora Green Pammal (EGP), produced by UNICEF and published by the Government of Tamil Nadu,  illustrates examples of the implementation and impact of solid waste management innovations in five localities in Tamil Nadu. The solid waste management systems in these localities are widely regarded as successes that deserve replication.This document has been produced to inspire and enable more local body authorities to emulate such successes in other parts of the country.

Improving solid waste management services in India is an urgent challenge for all levels of the government. Littering and the indiscriminate disposal of solid waste are widely practiced, polluting India's air, water, soil and inhabitants. Such pollution impedes India's efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).The nation's measures to combat malaria and other diseases (MDG 6), reduce child mortality (MDG 4), and ensure environmental sustainability (MDG 7) are all hampered by the unsightly and unhygienic conditions created by the accumulation of waste.

This report by WHO and UNICEF, describes the global status and trends with respect to the use of safe drinking water and basic sanitation, and global progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the context of drinking water and sanitation targets. The findings reveal some striking disparities with respect to:

• the gap between progress in providing access to drinking water versus sanitation
• the divide between urban and rural populations in terms of the services
• the differences in the way different regions are performing
• disparities between different socio-economic strata in the society
• gendered differences in the burden experienced in accessing and collection of drinking water

This report by the