Community Management of Rural Water Supply: Case Studies of Success from India

The supply of reliable and safe water is a key challenge for developing countries, particularly India. Community management has long been the declared model for rural water supply and is recognised to be critical for its implementation and success. Based on 20 detailed successful case studies from across India, this book outlines future rural water supply approaches for all lower-income countries as they start to follow India on the economic growth (and subsequent service levels) transition.

The case studies cover state-level wealth varying from US$2,600 to US$10,000 GDP per person and a mix of gravity flow, single village and multi-village groundwater and surface water schemes. The research reported covers 17 states and surveys of 2,400 households. Together, they provide a spread of cases directly relevant to policy-makers in lower-income economies planning to upgrade the quality and sustainability of rural water supply to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the context of economic growth.

Paul Hutchings is a lecturer in water and sanitation at the Cranfield Water Science Institute, Cranfield University, UK.

Richard Franceys is a consultant and led the Community Water Plus project as senior lecturer in water and sanitation management at Cranfield Water Science Institute, Cranfield University, UK.

Stef Smits is a senior programme officer at IRC in the Netherlands.

Snehalatha Mekala is the regional advisor for SPLASH, South Asia, and national research coordinator for the Community Water Plus project based in Hyderabad, India.