Report

Building Toilets to Managing Faecal Sludge

Advancing Faecal Sludge and Septage Management in India — A UNICEF and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Partnership (2021–2024)

Students perform a street play on faecal sludge and sanitation management for a seated community audience at a participatory group discussion event in Goalpara, Assam. — UNICEF

Highlights

This publication documents a four-year initiative by UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to move India beyond toilet construction toward fully managed sanitation. Focusing on Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, the initiative strengthened the entire sanitation value chain from waste containment and desludging to treatment, reuse, and safe disposal.

Through policy reform, capacity building, digital monitoring, and community engagement, the programme demonstrates how collaborative governance and innovation can deliver inclusive, sustainable sanitation outcomes at national, state, and city levels.