THE RECORD OF governments in pulling millions of citizens out of the basic deprivation of not having access to clean water and sanitation was the focus of World Water Day recently. This year's theme for the day was "Water and Disasters: Be Informed and Be Prepared," drawing the attention of all countries not just to floods and droughts but also to the unredeemed promise to the poor that they would have access to fresh water and sanitation within a reasonable time frame. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, used the occasion to caution member-states that their current level of efforts is unlikely to bring safe water to half a billion deprived people and sanitation to twice that number by 2015, despite their pledge to do so. A staggering 2.7 lakh water connections and twice as many sanitation links would have to be provided every day to achieve that goal, but few countries have live programmes to meet such a target. Many countries, including India, continue to follow policies that are influenced by the more affluent classes; these result in the creation of barriers to a more equitable distribution of a vital resource such as water.

The distortions in the system revealed by the 2001 Census of India leave none in doubt that a vast proportion of citizens are beyond the pale of development policy when it comes to provision of water and sanitation. Nearly half the population in the rural areas does not get safe drinking water while only about ten per cent has sanitation. In an election year, a deceptive feel-good factor is being used as a substitute for performance indicators, masking the reality that a significant percentage of the rural population does not have electricity or safe drinking water or sanitation. The Census figures say about 30 per cent have none of the three facilities. The urban poor also do not fare much better: their competition with affluent sections for water is an all-too-familiar problem in drought-hit cities today. Critiques of the system have compared the policy of post-independence India in providing basic facilities with policies of the British Raj, which created municipal infrastructure primarily to protect the health of government personnel and the military. The top down approach of State Governments trying to provide municipal services has failed to meet development targets over the past five decades. It has instead resulted in poor control over spread of communicable disease and loss of productivity, demonstrated spectacularly by the Surat plague.

To mark this year's World Water Day, the U.N. has constituted an advisory board to help countries raise awareness on water and sanitation, mobilise resources for projects, and encourage new partnerships. India has the opportunity to correct the costly mistakes that have rendered elected local governments ineffective in providing basic services. The Panchayati Raj and Nagarpalika laws need to be strengthened to enable local bodies to mobilise more financial resources for development projects and regulate the disproportionate exploitation of water by affluent sections. Access to clean water and improved sanitation is fundamental to good health and should therefore become the basis of public health policy. The resources spent on these basic facilities are certain to have a salutary effect on Government budgets: they will reduce the disease burden on the public health system and lead to better social indicators, such as reduced infant mortality, improved enrolment in schools, and more productive population. More States must adopt the successful models of community-led water management initiatives such as Ralegan in Maharashtra and Alwar in Rajasthan, both of which have won international acclaim.