Contaminated water, poor sanitation, and hygiene significantly impact health, contributing to 90% of the 2 million annual global diarrheal deaths, primarily affecting children (UN, 2016). Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is crucial for reducing disease burdens (Fewtrell et al., 2005; WHO, 2017). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly targets 6.1 and 6.2, emphasise universal access to WASH services as vital for public health.
In 2015, India accounted for 90% of South Asians and half the global population practicing open defecation. To address this, the Government of India launched flagship programs such as the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), leading to significant progress. Open defecation dropped from 29% in 2015 to 15% in 2020 (World Bank, 2022). Access to safe drinking water also increased significantly during this period (GoI, 2022).
This paper ‘Tracking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) indicators in tribal districts of India: a secondary data analysis through 2015–2020’ focuses on WASH coverage among India’s tribal population, which constitutes 10.1% of the country’s population (Census, 2011). Tribes, referred to as Scheduled Tribes in the Indian Constitution, are distributed across the country but primarily concentrated in the eastern, central, and northeastern regions. Tribal communities often face challenges in development and health indicators, including WASH (GoI, 2014). This study analyses changes in WASH coverage between 2015 and 2021 in 90 tribal-dominated districts, scoring and ranking their performance.
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