India has achieved one of the largest social transformations of the century by lifting hundreds of millions out of open defecation and expanding access to clean water and hygiene, but the latest global JMP report reminds us that unless inequalities are resolved and sustainability secured, the nation’s WASH success story may falter just when it must accelerate toward the 2030 goals.
In global debates on development, India often finds itself measured against indices such as the Human Development Index and the Global Hunger Index, both of which spark public debate and political discourse. Yet one of the most crucial systems for tracking human well-being, the Joint Monitoring Programme on water, sanitation and hygiene managed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, remains largely under-recognised. The release of its 2024 report in August 2025 is both a cause for celebration and a reminder of the fragility of progress, especially for a country like India which has undergone one of the fastest and largest transformations in WASH in modern history.
The Joint Monitoring Programme, established in 1990, acts as the global custodian of WASH data and provides an indispensable assessment of progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6, which commits the world to ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Its importance lies in the fact that WASH is not merely about hygiene or cleanliness but is intimately linked with education, gender equality, health, productivity and environmental sustainability.
Access to clean water reduces disease burdens, adequate sanitation prevents infant mortality and hygiene ensures stronger and healthier communities. Despite this centrality, the JMP does not receive the same attention as economic or hunger indices, even though its implications are no less consequential for human development.
The latest report reveals a mixed global picture. There has been undeniable progress over the last two decades, with billions more people now able to access clean drinking water and basic sanitation. Open defecation has dropped significantly in several regions and hygiene facilities are far more widespread than before. Yet the pace is not nearly fast enough to achieve universal access by 2030. At current rates, billions will continue to lack safely managed services for decades to come, with sanitation projected to only become universal by 2063. Climate change adds further complexity, as floods, droughts and contamination undermine fragile systems, leaving vulnerable states and rural communities at risk of reversals.
Within this sobering global context, India’s story stands out as one of remarkable transformation. Once viewed as the global epicentre of open defecation, India has managed to shift the behaviour and infrastructure of hundreds of millions of people in just two decades. Between 1947 and 2000, progress was slow and uneven, but from the turn of the century onward, and especially after the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014, change has accelerated dramatically. The 2024 JMP reports that open defecation has declined by over 676 million people since 2000, a shift unparalleled in scale.
Safely managed drinking water now reaches 76.4 per cent of the population compared to only 37 per cent at the start of the century, with urban coverage at 83 per cent though rural India still lags behind at 53 per cent. The public health benefits of this expansion are evident in lower child mortality, fewer waterborne diseases and better nutrition outcomes.
Sanitation improvements are equally striking. By 2024, nearly 63 per cent of Indians had access to safely managed sanitation services and open defecation had fallen to 6.7 per cent nationwide, with rural areas still showing higher rates than urban ones. Research has confirmed that sanitation investments have not only improved dignity and security, particularly for women, but have also saved lives.
A study published last year in Nature found that the national sanitation drive has prevented an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 infant deaths each year by reducing exposure to faecal contamination. Hygiene indicators tell a similar story of progress, with almost 90 per cent of households now enjoying access to soap and water, a jump from barely half in 2010. The COVID-19 pandemic created awareness that spurred handwashing infrastructure and accelerated India’s path towards near universal hygiene coverage.
The implications of this transformation go well beyond health. Economists have shown that every rupee invested in WASH yields multiple returns in the form of higher productivity, reduced healthcare costs and saved time, particularly for women. For millions of girls and women who once faced daily drudgery fetching water or suffered indignities from lack of toilets, WASH progress has unlocked hours of productive time, improved safety and opened opportunities for education and work. The cumulative effect since 2000 amounts to tens of billions of dollars in economic gains for India and represents one of the greatest social policy achievements in the country’s independent history.
Despite these gains, the latest JMP report makes clear that progress remains uneven. Stark rural-urban divides persist, with a thirty-point difference between urban and rural access to safe drinking water. State-level disparities are even sharper, with hygiene coverage close to universal in Sikkim but as low as 29 per cent in Odisha. Faecal sludge management is another concern, as most septic tanks remain unconnected to treatment facilities, raising the danger of untreated waste contaminating the environment. Gender inequalities remain embedded in WASH challenges, with women and girls still disproportionately burdened by the lack of safe and private facilities.
For India, the next decade demands not only continued investment but also a shift in approach. The progress achieved so far must be sustained through upgraded infrastructure, stronger behavioural change and climate resilience. A renewed Swachh Bharat Mission 3.0 and Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, reoriented towards long-term sustainability, are necessary.
Equally important is the empowerment of communities to take ownership of WASH outcomes, ensuring that achievements are not reversed once initial momentum fades. Grassroots institutions, local governments, self-help groups and civil society must be given a central role in monitoring and maintaining services. In addition, India’s research and innovation ecosystem must be mobilised to develop solutions for water treatment, faecal sludge management and region-specific challenges, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and implementation.
The 2024 JMP confirms that India’s journey in WASH is one of the most significant social transformations of this century. From being the global face of open defecation, India has become an exemplar of how political will, social mobilisation and sustained investment can bring about large-scale change in a relatively short period. But the report is also a cautionary tale that progress is fragile.
Unless inequalities are resolved, infrastructure secured and resilience strengthened, the nation risks stalling just as it needs to accelerate. The task before India is clear: to move beyond expanding access and towards ensuring that water, sanitation and hygiene are safely managed, equitable and sustainable. Achieving this goal will not only fulfil the promise of Sustainable Development Goal 6 but also fortify the foundations of human development, dignity and economic vitality for generations to come.