Thursday
December 1
2022

Viewpoint: Rural Water and Sanitation Needs to Prioritise Sustainability in India

By Depinder Kapur

There is an urgent need to develop a common understanding of emerging rural water supply and sanitation priorities in India. It is also critical to ensure that we avoid falling into the trap of doing what comes easy and forgetting the larger purpose and core challenges.

Several priorities were identified in a national workshop August 2022 during the release of a compendium of success stories on water, greywater and faecal sludge management from rural India — Compendium of Best Practices in Rural Sanitation and Water Supply

The workshop was held under the chairmanship of Vini Mahajan, secretary of the department of drinking water and sanitation under the Union Jal Shakti ministry, along with non-profit Centre for Science and Environment Director General Sunita Narain.

Prioritising drinking water source sustainability is one of the essential priorities identified. Unfortunately, it is narrowly defined as protecting water sources in the immediate vicinity. The larger dimensions are often left out.

Photo courtesy of SuSanA Secretariat.

Source: DownToEarth (link opens in a new window)

Categories
WASH
Tags
business development, rural development, water