Water and Sanitation: Failures in Policy, Design, and Delivery
In this wide-ranging and candid panel, practitioners and policy thinkers across the water and sanitation sectors reflect on the quiet, complex, and often systemic failures that hinder progress. Moderator Jayamala Subramaniam sets the tone, recounting the overwhelming shift from the corporate world to the dynamic uncertainty of community water work. Yogesh Jadeja shares his early fears and lessons in perseverance, cautioning against the illusion of success and advocating for humility even when one “reaches the peak.” His call to remain grounded echoes throughout the discussion.
Jayamala and Sasanka emphasize the dissonance between models built in theory and realities on the ground. Community needs shift constantly, technological challenges persist, and the success of infrastructure is often undermined by social friction and distrust. Madhavan critically examines the fragile relationship between grassroots implementation and government policy, noting how technical jargon becomes the only language that allows practitioners to remain in rooms where decisions are made. Yet, the problem is not always a lack of resources, but the absence of systems that ensure their thoughtful, equitable use.
Krishna C. Rao and Viswanath S. deliver sobering insights into research failures and global sustainability narratives. The academic rigor of water research often fails to intersect with governance timelines, while implementation gaps grow wider. Viswanath frames the entire crisis within an urgent philosophical debate – should water be viewed as a private good, a community resource, or a state responsibility? In a system driven by GDP growth and unsustainable consumption, water becomes both a battleground and a barometer for a failing worldview. The panel makes one thing clear: without deeper reflection on purpose, scale, and equity, we are engineering not solutions but more collapse.
