Since 2016, Suvidha has brought clean toilets, safe drinking water, showers and laundry under one roof for over 6,00,000 residents a year across Mumbai's densest communities, staying open through floods, water cuts and heatwaves.
Released at the session, Dalberg Advisors' paper ‘Realising the Potential of Climate-Smart Sanitation for the Cities of Tomorrow’ (PDF 1.58 MB) recognises Suvidha as a model that builds climate resilience for the communities it serves. Examined alongside sanitation models from South Africa, Peru, Kenya, Bangladesh and across India, Suvidha stands out as a strong case study of the approach working in practice.
Convened annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute, World Water Week is the leading global conference on water. This year's theme, ‘Water for People and Progress,’ explored water's role in advancing health, livelihoods, resilience and sustainable development. Our session, ‘Building Resilient Cities through Climate-Smart Sanitation,’ asked how WASH systems can withstand water stress, flooding, contamination and public health risks — a question with real weight, given that 13 of the world's 20 most climate-vulnerable cities are in India.
The panel discussion, moderated by Shruti Goyal of Dalberg Advisors, brought three vantage points to bear on that question.
Dr V.K. Chaurasia, Adviser-in-Charge, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, set out how far India has come through SBM-U (Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban), AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and allied missions, and commended innovative models such as Suvidha, noting that MoHUA has partnered with HUL through the Centre for Hygiene and Sanitation Excellence to codify these learnings and scale them across India's cities.
Yusuf Kabir of UNICEF India traced the line between climate shocks and public health, noting how unevenly that burden falls on children and low-income households, and argued for pairing infrastructure with behaviour change. Fiona Duggan of Unilever broadened the frame to how climate change is reshaping WASH systems globally, and why locally led models are increasingly what the global sustainability agenda needs. Between them, a shared conclusion: resilient sanitation is not built by infrastructure or by communities alone, but by both together.
That is the case Suvidha makes in practice: services that keep running when the weather turns, built and staffed with the communities that use them. Platforms like World Water Week are where such evidence travels furthest, and where a model built in Mumbai's neighbourhoods can shape how cities elsewhere plan for a changing climate.
Frequently asked questions
How does Suvidha stay operational during climate events like floods or heatwaves?
Suvidha centres are designed with climate resilience built in — they remain open and functional during floods, water cuts and extreme heat, ensuring continuity of essential hygiene services precisely when communities need them most.
What is the Dalberg Advisors report on climate-smart sanitation?
Released at World Water Week 2026, Dalberg Advisors' paper Realising the Potential of Climate-Smart Sanitation for the Cities of Tomorrow examines sanitation models from India, South Africa, Peru, Kenya and Bangladesh. It identifies Suvidha as a leading example of climate-resilient urban sanitation working at scale.
Why are Indian cities particularly vulnerable to climate-related sanitation risks?
Thirteen of the world's 20 most climate-vulnerable cities are in India, making resilient WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) infrastructure a critical priority. Disruptions to sanitation during floods or heatwaves disproportionately affect children and low-income households.
What is World Water Week and why does it matter for sanitation?
World Water Week is the leading global conference on water, convened annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute. The 2026 theme — "Water for People and Progress" — explored how water systems can advance health, livelihoods and resilience, making it a key platform for sharing evidence-based models like Suvidha with policymakers worldwide.