Water, sanitation and hygiene must be looked at holistically

Estimates show that around 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that are faecally contaminated, and some 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation sources such as toilets or latrines. In India, 163 million people lack access to safe water and 210 million people are without access to improved sanitation (2017). Hygiene poses another challenge; safe drinking water and sanitation in the absence of hygienic habits will not prevent feco-oral infections. There is a need for establishing a legal framework with principles to guide implementation of safe water and improved sanitation, improve the capacity of local bodies, undertake appropriate planning and implement sector programmes, and foster an enabling environment for financing.