Over the last five years Arghyam was involved in a collaborative experiment to introduce the concept of Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) in Mulbagal, a small town in Karnataka.

Arghyam, a non-profit foundation focusing on domestic water and sanitation, has published a document highlighting a water quality management (WQM) framework for rural areas.

At the request of the Planning Commission, Arghyam and WaterAid agreed to co-ordinate and support a process of civil society consultation for inputs on rural and urban drinking water and sanitation for generating recommendations for the Approach Paper to the 12th Five Year Plan of the Government of India.

This document is the culmination of research and discussions on the experiences of civil society organisations implementing sustainable sanitation campaigns in six Indian states. The initiatives featured in the book indicate that a typical campaign spread over three to five years comprises four distinct phases and involves a series of activities described in this book.

The ASHWAS survey is a process of enquiry about the water, sanitation and hygiene situation in rural Karnataka. It has a number of unusual features which distinguish it from more conventional surveys. Firstly, it is a citizen's survey in that it places a high premium on the perceptions of the citizens of rural Karnataka.