Big change is possible
This compendium comprises success stories of managing water supply, grey water and faecal sludge in rural India under different government programmes. Sixty-four case studies illustrate the substantial on-ground impact-including reduced expenditure on health and improved quality of life, especially for women and the girl child-of implementation of on-ground structures for treatment of water, grey water and faecal sludge. The volume is divided into three sections. The first chapter details as to how water sources are made sustainable by strategically choosing them in accordance with the geology of the area. The next section analyses how villages that once grappled with water stagnation, mosquitoes and overflow from open drains tackled their problems by managing grey water at the household, community and village levels. The third section describes how villages used different toilets for site-specific solutions as well as economic and institutional structures for offsite treatment of faecal sludge.