National Master Plan India : International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade 1981-1990

India, having subscribed to the Resolution of the 31st United Nations General Assembly in 1977, pledged full support to the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1991). Recognizing the need for coordinated action and approach to achieve its targets for the provision of safe drinking water and sanitation, the Government of India in 1980 constituted an Apex Committee responsible for national policy formulation and supervision of the programmes to be undertaken during the Decade. This resulting three volume National Master Plan Document is a composite of the 31 State and 9 Union Territory Decade Plans providing guidelines to action and programme goals, policies, priorities and funding with the Union Government providing broad guidance and directives, financial allocations and coordination at the national level. Part I of Volume I outlines the overall socio-economic and health situation as well as the sector position as of March 1981 pointing out the disparities between the urban and rural situations. It also summarizes decade programme goals for water supply and sanitation provision, and coverage programme policies based on the concept of low cost and appropriate technology. Also included are support programme policies which emphasize the importance of health and sanitation promotion by instituting training programmes for all levels of health personnel to carry out community health education and participation through Primary Health Care Centres, Block Development Offices, Community Health Volunteers, village health guides in rural areas and health education in schools. Decade programme priorities and funding; the present status and future requirements of manpower and materials and equipment necessary to implement programmes; and a discussion of the project development process, methods of improving the operation and maintenance of water supply and sanitation schemes, and the external and internal assistance required to finance these Decade programmes conclude Part I. All of these topics are supported in Appendix I by a series of tables providing detailed statistical data, as well as figures explaining the new 20 point programme. Appendix II summarizes the national water resources. Part II (Appendix III) of Volume I provides executive summaries of decade plans in water supply and sanitation for each of the states and union territories. Each executive summary has the same format including notes on background history and geographical features; socio-economic indicators such as population projection, income and education (literacy levels); health aspects such as life expectancy and incidence of various diseases; water resources; present status of water supply and sanitation (sewerage) both urban and rural; sector organization; decade plan targets for both rural and urban areas; and decade plan funding. Only some of the states include plans for support programmes in health education and community participation, making the point that, without this, investment in water supply and sanitation facilities has no impact on community health. Rajasthan's health education programme advocates the use of audio-visual aids and school programmes as well as the implementation of a women's general development programme to coincide with urban and rural sanitation and water supply projects. Other examples of states which plan to include some form of health and sanitation promotion include: Tamil Nadu - health education and community participation in the operation and maintenance of water and sanitation schemes; Bihar - nutrition and health education; Jammu & Kashmir - training of public health engineers; Madhya Pradesh - health education using cinema shows, slide projectors, hand bills and posters to emphasize the importance of a protected water supply, as well as motivating community involvement from the planning stage to the maintenance stage; and Orissa - community education on the health benefits of safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation facilities through the health guide scheme and use of the mass media. Volume II, A Compendium of Water Supply and Sanitation Projects for States and Union Territories, and Volume III, Decade Plans in the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector for States and Union Territories, are not included in this document.