Decentralised Governance in Water and Sanitation in Rural India

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) impact health, nutrition, and livelihood status of millions of Indians every day. Decentralized governance is a key strategy for enhancing efficiency, equity, and justice in this vital sector. Improving governance is not an option; it is in fact essential, given the enormous challenges faced by India. This volume critically examines the decentralization of governance in particular to the water and sanitation sector in rural India. The book showcases leading voices—including those of academians, practitioners, and policymakers—from various parts of India. It begins with an introduction to the basic core issues related to the subject, then details the present scenario in the country and in specific states along with practical examples for their resolution, moving on to broader aspects of good governance in the field, and finally gives implementable remedies. Decentralised Governance in Water and Sanitation in Rural India is a useful compendium for practitioners, academians, civil society activists, policy planners, and also the common citizens—the ultimate consumer of these services.

B. S. Bisht is an associate professor at the National Centre for Good Governance. He has published several research papers in journals and books of national and international repute. Aidan Cronin is a civil and environmental engineer who works for UNICEF India. He formerly worked as a consultant, a senior research fellow at the Robens Centre, University of Surrey, and a water and sanitation advisor at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland. He has published extensively on water, sanitation, and health issues. Kush Verma is the director general of the National Centre for Good Governance and a former Indian administrative service officer in Uttar Pradesh. He has published several papers in the fields of general administration, development, labor issues, and tourism.