Datanomics: India lags its peers in hygiene and sanitation levels

Despite improvements in water access, India lags behind BRICS peers in sanitation and school hygiene facilities, UNICEF data shows

Global Handwashing Day was marked on Wednesday to promote awareness about hand hygiene and its role in creating a healthy society. Handwashing is an integral part of hygiene, which forms the bedrock of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), crucial development indicators in fostering public health. However, a recent data update by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regarding the WASH parameters has laid bare the sanitation and hygiene gaps in India. 

 

 

   

A comparison of BRICS nations reveals that 96 per cent of households in India in 2024 had at least basic drinking water services. However, only 83 per cent of Indian households in 2024 had sanitation services, much lower than the figures of Brazil, China and Russia.

   

 

   

Provision of WASH facilities in schools is an integral component of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. In 2023, 13 per cent of Indian schools were devoid of improved or basic sanitation facilities. Further, 1 out of 4 Indian schools did not have improved or basic hygiene facilities in 2023.

   

 

   

The 2024-25 Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) report flagged deficiencies in WASH facilities in

 

the schools present in India’s north-eastern states. Only 42.7 per cent of schools in Meghalaya had a functional hand-washing facility in 2024-25, the lowest share in the country.