Drinking and other Domestic Uses

S M Sehgal Foundation is implementing a project “WASH for Healthy Home” engaging ten women’s groups in partnership with CAWST and supported by Fig Tree Foundation in Jafrabad Panchayat, district Vaishali, Bihar.

Adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene are essential components for providing basic health services, and access to safe drinking water, toilets and hand hygiene are the most critical components of WASH services. Correct, consistent, and continuous practices of WASH serve to prevent infections and spread of diseases.

WASH for health

Vision of the network

All Indians must consume affordable safe drinking water.

Goal of the network

To increase safe water coverage in India, specifically in rural, remote and peri-urban areas, with a focus on the poorest of poor through implementation of household water treatment.

Objective of the network

One of the principal risks to public health is the lack of access to safe drinking water. The Millennium Development Goals by the World Health Organisation (WHO) focus on the target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water.

There is a myriad of government schemes and programmes working towards improving water access across the country. Tracking all these initiatives can be cumbersome. The priority that the centre and the states accord to various sectors through the budgetary allocations gives an idea about where the government’s priorities really lie.

Water, sanitation and hygiene, which are major determinants of health and nutrition levels, have gained substantial visibility during the last two years because of the pandemic.

Meghalaya exemplifies participation at scale and community empowerment in participatory water projects

Using government reported data, the briefs analyse trends in allocations, public expenditures, outputs and outcomes of key social sector programmes. These briefs are published in the run-up to the Government of India budget in February every year.

Activists stand up against Mekedatu project under the noted activist Medha Patkar