India
1.47 billion total population of India
23% of people in India don't have access to safely managed drinking water services.¹
36% of people in India don't have access to safely managed sanitation facilities.²
Water For People in India
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People in India reached with reliable water servicesIndia has 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of its water resources, making it among the most water-stressed countries in the world.³ Adding to the challenge, climate change makes the wild swings of monsoon and drought seasons even more unstable for water supplies. Just over half of drinking water and sanitation sources in rural areas are safely managed.⁴ In urban areas, safely managed sanitation is much lower. Our work across the states of Bihar, Maharashtra, and West Bengal aims to ensure water, sanitation, and hygiene services in every community, household, and public institution by working with governments, community members, and sector partners.
Water For People began working in India in 1996, and in 2008, we developed a locally registered arm to work in tandem on projects funded by Indian corporations, foundations, and individuals. To date, we have reached over 1.5 million people in India through water and sanitation solutions.
"I’ve traveled a lot – visiting at least 46 countries. But what I’m most proud of is that I’ve been to every state in India, and 90% of my travels have been to rural areas. And everywhere I’ve gone I’ve felt the warmth and diversity of people. It gives me hope for humanity itself."
Bishwadeep Ghose
Country Director, Water For People India
• Provide technical support to the state and district governments for the effective implementation of national WASH programs
• Install and rehabilitate water systems in communities and public institutions
• Develop and support Water User Committees, comprised mostly of women, that oversee the operation and maintenance of water points
• Train local entrepreneurs on maintaining and repairing handpumps and piped water schemes
• Support governmental programs through capacity building of the service providers, such as Village Water and Sanitation Committees and Ward Implementation Management Committees, to manage, finance, and maintain these new systems
• Strengthen service authorities so that they are able to manage, finance, and monitor water services in their districts
• Partner with local microfinance institutions to provide loans to families and community groups to invest in sanitation facilities
• Provide loans to sanitation entrepreneurs for developing their enterprises and support them through marketing trainings, business planning, and product supply
• Drive research and pilot new sanitation products, ideas, and tools
• Co-finance and construct community toilet blocks in urban areas, while supporting local committees to maintain the toilet blocks and ensure sustainability
• Construct school sanitation and water infrastructure, building separate toilet blocks for girls and boys that include handwashing stations, changing rooms that provide the privacy required during menstruation, and incinerators for the disposal of sanitary products
• Empowering girls through menstrual hygiene management trainings and communications
• Ensure vulnerable and excluded populations, including the extreme poor, low caste, and tribal communities, have access to safe water and sanitation services
Water For People works in the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Bihar.
Water For People brings together communities, local businesses, and governments to build, operate, and maintain their own water and sanitation systems. This approach – called Everyone Forever – ensures that every family, health clinic, and school has reliable, long-term access to safe water and sanitation.
Lasting access to water, sanitation, and hygiene requires more than short-term solutions – and more than local action alone. That’s why Water For People makes long-term investments and partnerships with districts, while also working at the national level to strengthen policies and financing.
Working with communities, service providers, and government at all levels, Water For People focuses on strengthening the systems needed for lasting services. As a leader in the WASH space and sector partner to the Ministry of Jal Shakti for National Jal Jeevan Mission, Water For People is setting these priorities:
• Capacity building and technical support to district and local governments to further the effective implementation of national water and sanitation programs
• Ensuring high levels of WASH services for every family, health center, and school by facilitating the efficient mobilization of government funding
• Developing a coalition of partners to jointly influence policies and promote system-strengthening approaches
• Support local governments to design, fund, and implement water resources management programs and climate-resilient WASH systems
See the Work in Action
Hear from a Water Committee Member as she shares about her village's changing relationship with water and how they are ensuring long-lasting access.
¹ ² ³ Joint Monitoring Programme of WHO and UNICEF, India Household Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Service Levels, 2024
⁴ World Bank Group, Water: Driving Jobs and Prosperity, March 2026