Water and sanitation services in India and Ghana: an assessment of implications for rural health and related SDGs

Abstract

Provisioning of water and sanitation services has become the key determinants of sustainable development. This review focuses on the trends in water and sanitation services and reforms in India and Ghana over the last two decades. The findings reveal that access to water has improved in India and Ghana at 81.5 and 92.7%, respectively. However, access to sanitation continues to be a challenge in both countries, with the currently reported coverage being 59.5 and 18.5%, respectively. The index of sustainable development goal (SDG) performance of Ghana and India stands at 65.4 and 61.9 with global rankings of 100 and 117, respectively. The adverse impacts of poor access to sanitation increasingly reflect on rising numbers of population suffering from water-borne diseases. From the policy perspective, the paper highlights the need for framing pro-poor water and sanitation policies; focusing on women and girls’ education; promoting affordable water and sanitation services; promoting the collaboration of stakeholders involved in the rural water and sanitation sectors; and increasing budgetary allocations by local governments.

Analysis of the Targets and Progress toward Meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal - 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation: Evidence from India

“…"Clean sources of drinking water include water that is supplied directly to homes, yards, and plots through pipes, community water points or standpipes, tube wells, hand-dug wells, springs, and rainwater harvesting systems. However, it is considered safe and affordable if it is delivered directly to homes, with an acceptable level of quality" [23]. For the SDGs to be achieved and to guide policy development and implementation, it is vital to monitor progress by evaluating the past and current conditions at national and local level.…”

Local Public Administration in the Process of Implementing Sustainable Development Goals

“…Governments need to formulate water and sanitation policies that can more efficiently reduce the gap between developed and underdeveloped countries. One way of doing this is to provide support through technological and institutional systems that improve poor communities' access to appropriate affordable technology providing gender-appropriate drinking water and sanitation facilities [68].…”

“…Sambo et al [82] extended these challenges' scope to include budgetary constraints, which highlight the need for more extensive assessments of water access and quality in social, economic, and environment dimensions. Kanyagui et al [68], in turn, report that little research has been carried out from an international comparative perspective on key water and sanitation indicators, including service provision levels, types of services available, financing, and policy reform.…”

Institutional arrangements for improving water and sanitation services in the rural villages of India: a systems thinking approach

“…The survey also showed a lack of knowledge about the state's water systems (Ranchi India Institute of Management, 2013). According to Kanyagui and Viswanathan (2022), achieving SDG 6 targets requires effective collaboration between local state institutions and non‐state actors providing WATSAN services to rural communities.…”

“…Nagla Chandi, also known as Nagla Purivia, is the study village and is situated 16 km (km) west of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh, India (Kanyagui et al, 2023). It is part of the Ral Panchayat of the Agra Division as shown in Figure 3.…”