Health and sanitation as the pillars of a healthy India

On World Health Day (April 7), attention has turned to the vital role of clean water and sanitation in ensuring a healthy society. India’s large-scale rural missions — particularly the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) — have emerged as transformative efforts to address long-standing public health challenges through infrastructure, behaviour change, and community-led solutions.

Transformative Impact of Rural Missions

• SBM’s Public Health Gains: Between 2014–2019, SBM averted over 3 lakh diarrhoeal deaths, with studies (Gates Foundation, UNICEF, WHO) linking toilet access to reduced child wasting, better safety for women (93% felt safer), and annual healthcare savings of ?50,000 per household.
• JJM’s Socio-Economic Returns: The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, promises universal rural tap water, with WHO projections estimating 4 lakh diarrhoeal deaths averted and 36 lakh child lives saved annually; it also frees 5.5 crore woman-hours daily, boosting female labour force participation.
• Integrated Village-Level Interventions: Through Sujal and Swachh Gaon campaigns, convergence of WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) initiatives has led to improved infrastructure — 07 lakh villages with solid waste and 5.23 lakh with liquid waste management, advancing preventive health outcomes.

Health, Dignity and Gender Transformation

• Water and Sanitation as Health Shields: With 80% rural households now having tap water and 96% villages declared ODF Plus, basic services are acting as the first line of defence against disease, supporting child growth and protecting women from health and safety vulnerabilities.
• Women as Frontline Change-Makers: Over 48 million women have been trained to test water quality; women-led Self-Help Groups now manage sanitation infrastructure, run recycling units, and produce sanitary napkins — transforming beneficiaries into grassroots leaders.
• Sanitation Chain as a Health Ecosystem: Toilets, clean water, and waste management collectively improve public health, environmental safety, and school attendance — reinforcing that preventive care begins at home, not in hospitals.

Convergence, Global Relevance, and Policy Innovation

• Inter-Ministerial Convergence is Key: Health outcomes are deeply tied to policies in water, nutrition, education, and rural development, and India's success stems from a whole-of-government approach, driven by sustained political will and local ownership.
• Technology-Driven Models for Scale: Real-time dashboards, GOBARdhan biogas plants, and plastic waste management units have digitised and decentralised rural sanitation management, ensuring transparency, sustainability, and replicability.
• India as a Global WASH Model: India’s community-led and tech-integrated WASH models offer blueprints for the Global South, showing that every rupee spent in WASH multiplies into long-term gains in productivity, gender equity, public health, and environmental stability.

Practice Question

Q. “India’s rural sanitation and water supply missions are no longer just infrastructural interventions but health and development strategies.” Critically analyse the health, gender, and economic impact of SBM and JJM. What lessons do these programmes offer for other developing countries?