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India

India's water and sanitation crisis

Out of its population of 1.4 billion people, 35 million people lack access to safe water and 678 million people lack access to a safe toilet. Current challenges include extreme water stress, contaminated surface water and lack of access to piped water supply. The effects from climate change like droughts and rising sea levels also affect access to safe water and sanitation for families in India.

These factors, combined with the current initiative by the Government of India to provide tap water connections to every household by 2024, have created unprecedented urgency to implement effective solutions to increase access to safe water and sanitation.

35 million lack access to safe water
Capital: New Delhi
Population of 1.4 billion
678 million people lack access to a safe toilet

Our impact in India

Since 2004, Water.org has played a significant role in India’s progress toward improved water and sanitation, empowering more than 29.7 million people with access to safe water or sanitation through our WaterCredit solution, a model we originally piloted in India.

By partnering with different types of organizations, including microfinance institutions, self-help group federations, state rural livelihoods missions, commercial banks, payment banks, social enterprises, and the Government of India, we mobilize resources and share knowledge to increase affordable access to safe water and sanitation for families living in poverty. And it’s working.

29.7 million
people now have access to safe water or sanitation
Woman filling up an orange water vessel from a tap outside her home in India.

25 partners in India
$1.6 billion in loans disbursed by our partners
6.6 million loans disbursed for water and sanitation

A vision for future impact in India

Water.org is heavily invested in India and strategically positioned to support the national push to end the country's water crisis. Our plan will leverage the large, unmet demand for water and sanitation financing among people living in poverty, India’s strong microfinance and banking infrastructure and increasingly digitized lending environment, and the significant support from the Government of India to continue to remove the barriers between people in need and safe water and sanitation at home.

In addition to our household-level work through WaterCredit, we will also continue playing a catalytic role in developing financial solutions at the community level, including programs that help water enterprises, infrastructure, and utility services expand their services for people in need. And we will continue to partner closely with key multilateral development finance institutions and government partners in India, such as the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation's Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission, UNICEF, the World Bank, WaterAid, and local organizations. Through these partnerships, we are working to influence public policy and practice changes that make more funds available for water and sanitation solutions across the country.

Woman making a payment on her microfinance loan for a water or sanitation solution.

Sunita has safe water at home

Watch to hear from Sunita how affordable, lasting access to safe water at home has changed her life in south India.

  • Stories of Impact

    Anita's family is safe

    Anita wanted to give her girls a safe, healthy place to go but, the thought of paying for a private toilet at home felt financially impossible. How could she save to build a toilet when the costs of living were already too high? Read about how a small loan helped Anita solve her family's sanitation crisis.

    Read more
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  • Stories of Impact

    Swati no longer struggles to give her family water

    A developing leader in India, the state of Maharashtra is making headway for its economy and its people, however in this region Swati calls home, millions of people still lack access to safe water and sanitation. Find out how a small, affordable loan empowered this mother of two with lasting access to safe water at home.

    Read more
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  • Stories of Impact

    Kantabai gave her family safe water and a bright future

    In the countries where we work, like India, women and children often bear the primary responsibility for water collection. After decades of collecting water from distant sources outdoors, Kantabai is thankful she could finally give her sons, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren safe water at home.

    Read more
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See all India stories

India impact statistics

People reached 29.7 million

The number of people who now have access to safe water or sanitation and the health and opportunity they bring.

Capital mobilized (USD) $1.6 billion

Our partners mobilize funds from capital markets to provide water and sanitation loans.

Loans disbursed 6.6 million

Our local partners make loans to people in need for life-changing safe water and sanitation solutions.

Number of active partners 25

We work with financial institutions, service providers, international agencies, and governments to make an impact.

Repayment rate 98%

Every repaid loan means another family in need can get affordable access to safe water at home.

Average loan size (USD) $250

Small loans can help make a big difference by providing long-term solutions for families in need around the world.

Percent of women borrowers 99%

Women are primarily responsible for household water collection and are solving the water crisis for their families.

Households living under $6.85/day 83%

We are committed to helping people living in poverty get access to safe water and sanitation solutions at home.

To help end the water crisis in India, donate today.

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