This report on the assessment of drinking water supply and sanitation in India is the result of a collaborative exercise between the Planning Commission of India, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as part of a joint monitoring programme (JMP) for the sector. This country-level report in India comes in the wake of the four global assessments (reports published in 1991, 1993, 1996, and 2000) completed through the JMP process.

The case study titled “CDD-WATSAN Project in Medinipur – An Assessment, 1991-2001” has been developed and published in 2004 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This paper discusses the Control of Diarrhoeal Diseases-Water Sanitation (CDD-WATSAN) project carried out since 1991 in the district of Medinipur, West Bengal. A comparison of three studies — baseline, mid-term review and the final impact assessment — is presented. The key parameters considered were the use of water and sanitary facilities within households and primary schools, and improved hygiene practices at home.

The case study titled “Making nightsoil-based biogas plants viable in Maharashtra’s Pune district” has been written by Dr. S V Mapuskar in India Infrastructure Report, published in 2007 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). It presents Dehu village of Maharashtra’s Pune district, where some families allow their neighbours to use their toilets for a nominal maintenance charge making attached biogas plants economically viable. The strategy has also eased the village Panchayat’s responsibilities for human nightsoil management and reduced environmental pollution due to open defecation.

The case study titled “Change Management & Democratisation of Water-The Tamil Nadu Experiment with Governance Reform” has been written Vibhu Nayar in India Infrastructure Report, published in 2007 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This paper highlights an effort to fill a long standing gap in water governance reform, initiated in the rural water supply division of the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (henceforth referred to as TWAD) in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The major state level utility reform exercise titled, `Democratisation of Water Management’ was launched in early 2004 and is still continuing at the time of writing this paper in June, 2006.