Over the past decade, a number of national missions have improved the quality of sanitation in India and public access to sanitation systems. As part of missions such as the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0), and the National Policy on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM), over 6.3 million household toilets and ~630K public toilets have been built, and ~19 million water connections and ~15 million sewer connections provided.

As urbanization intensifies climate risks, these systems need to be upgraded and rebuilt. Asia alone has 99 of the world’s 100 most climate-vulnerable cities, and 13 of the 20 that are most at risk of recurring floods, heatwaves and water scarcity are in India. The two are inextricably linked: climate events disrupt infrastructure such as drains and toilets, and impaired infrastructure leads to unsanitary environments. The city’s vulnerable communities suffer the most, especially women.

This context presents the country an opportunity to design climate-smart and inclusive sanitation from scratch. The success of such models has already been demonstrated. Take Suvidha, Hindustan Unilever’s flagship social innovation model, an exemplary case of a system that both reduces the vulnerability of communities and the exposure to climate risks by placing four elements under one roof: clean toilets, drinking water, showers and laundry that are open 24×7 and designed keeping in mind women, children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

In the report Realizing the Potential of Climate-Smart Sanitation for the Cities of Tomorrow, Hindustan Unilever and Dalberg lay out how smart sanitation and community empowerment can address the grave challenges posed by urbanization and climate change.

Read the complete report.