76
K. Khare and S. Jose
is limited to provision of water infrastructure and toilet coverage as an end to the
political activity. There is no general cognizance, agreement and conscious delivery
mechanisms concerning the factors important for sustainability and how they are
interrelated.
This problem could be understood by invoking the principles of social justice
in assessing the efficacy of policy outcomes. The understanding of social justice
as a concept has evolved over a period of time. In its classical sense, it entails
Aristotelian’s meaning of human flourishing as an end to social activity (Ruger 2009),
or in Rawls’ sense of justice as fairness (Rawls 1999; Anand 2002) or very recent,
Sen’s (2009) focus on social actualization. Sen’s (2001, 2005) and Daniels et al.
(2005) articulation of justice tends to capture holism and helps contriving better
suited social arrangements by drawing the focus toward two central indicants—
culmination and comprehensive outcomes. It operates at two levels: not just the
finality or the ultimate result of an action undertaken, but also the processes and
cumulative experiences involved in achieving those outcomes and thereafter.
The approach questions the underlying assumption that (i) getting approaches or
the institutions right often do not comply with actual society (ii) flawed expectation
of certain behavioral responses which should necessarily comply with the chosen
institutions. Utilizing insights from human development approach, attempts could be
made to widen the reach of development goals which could be extended to explain the
vagaries in sanitation sector as well and seek to explain shortcomings just identified.
It offers a relational perspective which helps to contextualize and provides insights
into prevailing structures.
The structure of the paper comprises (i) first part of the paper gives insights
into the recoiling nature of water and sanitation interventions in India, which fail
to cast a lasting impact on human well-being. It would make an attempt to identify
possible socio-cultural determinants and the likelihood of ‘slippage’ through water
and sanitation service ladder. (ii) The latter would involve the review of empirical
studies and sustainable sanitation practices of nations which have achieved open
defecation free status and equitable water governance, and how they have managed
to sustain it over a period of time, followed by the conclusion.
3 Slippage—An Eventuality Besetting Sanitation
Interventions
Dominant discourse believes that sanitation is a ‘public good’ (Samuelson 1954) and
the state has a key role in ensuring lasting responses for all. As discussed earlier,
India is in the phase of achieving almost full toilet coverage and now is the critical
time to pay attention to other elements of water and sanitation value chain for greater
sustainability. The progress might be evasive as the intervention tends to leave behind
the long-term demands of provision of services which have to be maintained at length.
United Nations agenda (2017), contends that access to improved sanitation services
K. Khare and S. Jose
is limited to provision of water infrastructure and toilet coverage as an end to the
political activity. There is no general cognizance, agreement and conscious delivery
mechanisms concerning the factors important for sustainability and how they are
interrelated.
This problem could be understood by invoking the principles of social justice
in assessing the efficacy of policy outcomes. The understanding of social justice
as a concept has evolved over a period of time. In its classical sense, it entails
Aristotelian’s meaning of human flourishing as an end to social activity (Ruger 2009),
or in Rawls’ sense of justice as fairness (Rawls 1999; Anand 2002) or very recent,
Sen’s (2009) focus on social actualization. Sen’s (2001, 2005) and Daniels et al.
(2005) articulation of justice tends to capture holism and helps contriving better
suited social arrangements by drawing the focus toward two central indicants—
culmination and comprehensive outcomes. It operates at two levels: not just the
finality or the ultimate result of an action undertaken, but also the processes and
cumulative experiences involved in achieving those outcomes and thereafter.
The approach questions the underlying assumption that (i) getting approaches or
the institutions right often do not comply with actual society (ii) flawed expectation
of certain behavioral responses which should necessarily comply with the chosen
institutions. Utilizing insights from human development approach, attempts could be
made to widen the reach of development goals which could be extended to explain the
vagaries in sanitation sector as well and seek to explain shortcomings just identified.
It offers a relational perspective which helps to contextualize and provides insights
into prevailing structures.
The structure of the paper comprises (i) first part of the paper gives insights
into the recoiling nature of water and sanitation interventions in India, which fail
to cast a lasting impact on human well-being. It would make an attempt to identify
possible socio-cultural determinants and the likelihood of ‘slippage’ through water
and sanitation service ladder. (ii) The latter would involve the review of empirical
studies and sustainable sanitation practices of nations which have achieved open
defecation free status and equitable water governance, and how they have managed
to sustain it over a period of time, followed by the conclusion.
3 Slippage—An Eventuality Besetting Sanitation
Interventions
Dominant discourse believes that sanitation is a ‘public good’ (Samuelson 1954) and
the state has a key role in ensuring lasting responses for all. As discussed earlier,
India is in the phase of achieving almost full toilet coverage and now is the critical
time to pay attention to other elements of water and sanitation value chain for greater
sustainability. The progress might be evasive as the intervention tends to leave behind
the long-term demands of provision of services which have to be maintained at length.
United Nations agenda (2017), contends that access to improved sanitation services