Rural water systems do not run on infrastructure alone. They run on people, their labour, skills and everyday decisions.
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Published OnApr 2026
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AuthorsBhawna Badola and Kapil Dhabu
BACKGROUND
This report brings together two decades of learning on water quality in India. It traces the shift from isolated projects to building networks, capacity, and institutional systems while highlighting a central gap: access to water does not ensure safe water. Drawing on field experience, the report reflects on what enables scale, where systems fall short, and what it takes to build a sustained response to contamination.
