Access to sanitation and drinking water

Indian Economy glossary

Also called: Basic sanitation, Basic drinking water · Topic: Measuring Development: Income, HDI and Sustainability · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 8 "Comparative Development Experiences of India and its Neighbours"

Meaning

This is the share of people who use at least basic sanitation and at least basic drinking-water services. The definitions come from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), which tracks Sustainable Development Goal 6.

  • "At least basic" sanitation: an improved toilet facility that is not shared with other households.
  • "At least basic" drinking water: an improved water source where one round trip to collect water, including waiting in the queue, takes 30 minutes or less.

These indicators matter because unsafe water and poor sanitation spread disease. Disease also stops the body from absorbing nutrients, so it adds to undernourishment.

Example

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin, all of India's villages were declared open defecation free (ODF) on 2 October 2019. The Jal Jeevan Mission (2019) aims to give every rural household a working tap connection.

Don't confuse with

  • ODF status: ODF only means no one defecates in the open. JMP's "basic sanitation" is stricter, because the toilet must be improved and must not be shared with other households.

Related concepts

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