Evaluation report : drinking water projects in India

Between 1980 and 1990 the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) spent approximately DKK 400 million (US$ 62 million) on bilateral projects which provided drinking water to about 7.5 million people in five Indian states: Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa and Tamil Nadu. DANIDA's first projects focused on the supply and repair India Mark II handpumps. The Indian government has no sustainable maintenance programme for these handpumps, so DANIDA has been concentrating their efforts on maintenance assistance, primarily at the lower tiers of the system. In 1982, two large integrated water supply, sanitation and health education programmes were begun. Pour flush latrines are promoted in the two projects, including training and payment of masons, in the hope that the fabrication of the pan and slab would be turned into a private enterprise. Community participation was encouraged when possible, but much of the project was involved in rejuvenation of existing systems. Several approaches were implemented to garner participation of women, including the selection of women as caretakers, and women maintenance teams. It was shown in one of the two integrated projects that the educational activities need to include more emphasis on sustainability and commitment by local authorities.