The sanitation access to developing Asia: India's performance over 2001 and 2011
| Published date | 27 May 2014 |
| Date | 27 May 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/WJSTSD-10-2013-0042 |
| Pages | 93-101 |
| Author | Moazzem Hossain,Paul Howard |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Environmental technology & innovation |
The sanitation access to
developing Asia: India’s
performance over 2001 and 2011
Moazzem Hossain and Paul Howard
Department of International Business & Asian Studies,
Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on India’s performance in sanitation over the last
decade as it strives to meet the Millennium Development Goal target.
Design/methodology/approach – In doing so, both qualitative and quantitative analyses are
employed. The latter method includes a regression analysis. Income and income inequality variables
have been included in the analysis.
Findings – Whilst India has made progress towards achieving access to sanitation for its people, the
nation continues to perform relatively poorly to its neighbours and on a comparative global basis.
At the national level, substantial rural-urban and income disparities are linked to a reduced level of
sanitation access. Both forms of analysis support the view that income inequality in India is directly
related to a lack of sanitation facilities.
Research limitations/implications – The study is based on secondary data gathered from WHO
and UNICEF sources. These are national data gathered by these agencies in two periods. These are
aggregated data.
Practical implications – The study has major practical implications in policy formation in the area
of sanitation access to both rural and urban India. The state level data analysed by the study will
also be useful to make policies at disaggregated level. India, indeed, needs to improve the conditions
on an urgent basis. Even in South Asia standard, this nation is behind from almost all other nations
of the region.
Social implications – The social implications are to make people particularly poo r aware aboutthe
sanitation issue lack of which contributes to health hazards and gestro condition for children and old.
The sanitation related diseases contribute to huge loss of working hours in both rural and urban
communities.
Originality/value – The study contributes original ideas and demonstrates with a simple regression
analysis how sanitation depends on income and income inequality of the poor.
Keywords India, Poverty, Rural, Inequality, Sanitation, MDG
Paper type Research p aper
1. Introduction
The UN Millennium Declaration in 2000, under its Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) programme included eight goals. Goal seven covers the environmental
sustainability issue with one of the explicit targets being to “halve by 2015, the
proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and
basic sanitation” (UN, 2010). In assessing the progress towards that goal, in regard
to sanitation the UN made the following three distinct observations:
(1) with half the population of developing regions without sanitation, the 2015
target appears to be out of reach;
(2) disparities in urban and rural sanitation coverage remain daunting ; and
(3) improvements in sanitation are bypassing the poor.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/2042-5945.htm
WorldJour nal of Science, Technology
and Sustainable Development
Vol.11 No. 2, 2014
pp. 93-101
rEmeraldGroup Publishing Limited
2042-5945
DOI 10.1108/WJSTSD-10-2013-0042
93
India’s
performance
in sanitation
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