Regional analysis of sanitation performance in India
Debasree Bose & Arijita Dutta
#2017-023
Introduction: India bears a disproportionate burden of open defecation
in spite of investing more and more funds and ushering in several
institutional efforts including Swachh Bharat Mission in the recent
past. A large share of rural households still lack basic sanitation
facilities in India and members practice open defecation.
Objective: The study endeavours to examine the existing anomaly between
meagre sanitation productivity and enhanced resource allocation in rural
sanitation in India. The study attempts to develop an instrument to
monitor the differential regional performances across India.
Methodology: The paper applied data exploration to identify spatial
inequality and economic inequity across the nation. The extent of
inequality and inequity are measured through appropriate measure
statistical indices. To quantify the level of efficiency of the
districts in translating social spending in to sanitation coverage and
usage, non-parametric data envelopment technique (DEA) has been applied
to identify best-in-class performers. Finally, a regional sanitation
performance index that premises on three dimensions of performance:
efficiency, equity and equality is introduced.
Findings: Efficiency analysis reveals huge potential of India to attain
a far higher sanitation access and usage with the given flow of social
spending. The study unfolds that India is suffering from dual burden of
spatial inequality and economic inequity. While the regional divergence
in sanitation access escalates, households from lower income group
increasingly construct toilets in comparison to their higher income
counterpart even within the same region, originating a paradox in
sanitation in India.
Conclusion: The performance index has the potential to be served as an
instrument to monitor and evaluate regional performances on sanitation
and to inform investment decisions for targeted improvement. This index
is expected to serve as a useful tool for policy watch as it clearly
identifies the best and the worst performers by allowing fair comparison
among them.
Keywords: Performance Index, Efficiency, Equity, Equality, SBM (Swachh
Bharat Mission), SDG (Sustainable Development Goal).
JEL Classification: Q01, Q59, R10, O1