Health and sanitation as the pillars of a healthy India

Context

• On this World Health Day (April 7), as nations reflect on the foundations of human well being, India stands tall with a transformative lesson: health and sanitation are not separate pursuits, but are two sides of a coin.

• The story of modern India cannot be told without acknowledging the contribution of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Grameen and the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

• When the Prime Minister launched the SBM from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2014, he ignited a movement that has touched every Indian household, making it a people’s movement — a Jan Andolan that was anchored in behavioural change and inter generational equity.

• By 2019, India had declared itself Open Defecation Free (ODF) and taken significant steps towards achieving SDG 6.2 (it focuses on achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030) and also ending open defecation, 11 years ahead of time.

• The SBM has been a powerful public health intervention. A World Health Organization (WHO) report estimated from 2014 to 2019, through the sanitation mission, over three lakh diarrhoeal deaths were averted.

• The SBM has improved environmental outcomes. Groundwater contamination in ODF villages is 12.7 times less likely, ensuring long-term health resilience in rural communities. A (2024)

• In 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission was launched to ensure every rural household receives clean drinking water through a tap connection.

• Today, more than 80% of India’s rural households have tap water connections. Over 96% villages have been declared as ODF Plus, more than 5.07 lakh villages have solid waste management systems, and 5.23 lakh villages have liquid waste management systems in place