From Pramod Dabrase, Urban Administration and Development Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal

Posted 12 March 2009

I work with the Urban Administration and Development Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh. The Department has launched an Integrated Urban Sanitation Programme in Madhya Pradesh with the goal to achieve totally sanitized and healthy cities and towns. The programme was launched on 13 February 2009 in Bhopal.

Original Query: Dinesh Kumar, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Anand, Gujarat

Posted: 9 September 2005

I am Dinesh Kumar working at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Anand, Gujarat.

“Sustaining the Sanitation Revolution-India Country Paper” has been presented and published by the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) for SACOSAN-III in 16-21 November 2008, paper is divided into two parts – rural and urban sanitation however, in both rural and urban spheres, it highlights the promising initiatives are underway to tackle the sanitation challenge in India.

“Toilets and More” published by the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) in SACOSAN-III November 2008, is a manual about the dissemination in all countries for achieving the common goal of new standards of hygiene, health and empowerment for the people of South Asian Region.  

“A human rights-based approach to water and sanitation” published in September 2008 by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), this paper highlights the issue of the right to water, the challenges associated with its implementation and how such challenges might be addressed.

“Water: An increasingly precious resource Sanitation: A matter of dignity”, have been developed and published by Department for International Development in 2008, is policy report highlights the priorities for tackling water and sanitation issues.

“Burden of Inheritance” published in October 2009 by WaterAid India, report is an outcome to understand the complex and shameful practice of manual scavenging which unfortunately still exists in our country.

This report tries to seek answers to the question: Why have we not been able to eradicate manual scavenging? To get to the bottom of this scourge, the report has first explored the question: why are people continuing in this occupation despite availability of other dignified livelihood sources? Why is manual scavenging in practice in towns and cities where other cleaner options for survival exist? When there are feasible and viable technological alternatives to dry toilets, one of the drivers of this occupation, why does the practice continue?

Access to basic sanitation is a crucial human development goal in its own right, but sanitation is also a means to far wider human development ends. Read more in the “Human Development Report 2006' Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis”. The HDR 2006 is an independent report commissioned by the UNDP for to assess the level of people's long-term well-being.

"Clean water and sanitation can make or break human development."... read about the drinking water and sanitation scenario across the world in the “Human Development Report 2006' Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis”. The HDR 2006 is an independent report commissioned by the UNDP for to assess the level of people's long-term well-being.

The Government of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare developed and published the “National Health Policy” in 1983. The document gave a general exposition of the policies. The biggest omission in the draft is the lack of any discussion on comprehensive and universal health care. In contrast the NHP 1983 had said: "India is committed to attaining the goal of ‘Health for All by the Year 2000 A.D.’ through the universal provision of comprehensive primary health care services". The National Health Policy was endorsed by the Parliament of India in 1983 and updated in 2002.