At the core of collaboration is the ability to connect various stakeholders—governments, communities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses—towards a common purpose. These collaborative efforts don't merely manage systems; they reshape them by driving new paradigms, fostering cooperation, and creating shared value that scales across sectors and communities and ensures they are sustainable over time.

One of the most powerful lessons we can draw from collaboration comes from the Robbers Cave Experiment conducted by psychologists Muzafer and Carolyn Sherif in the 1950s. This study involved 22 young boys, divided into two groups. Initially, the groups were kept separate and engaged in competitive activities, which led to rivalry and hostility. However, when the groups were tasked with a superordinate goal—such as fixing a broken water supply system—something they could not achieve alone, cooperation became necessary.

As the groups collaborated on shared challenges, their hostility melted away, and they began to form friendships, replacing competition with mutual respect. This experiment clearly showed that when groups with conflicting interests are given common goals, collaboration can emerge, overcoming divisions and fostering positive outcomes. The lesson here is simple but profound: Shared goals can unite even the most divided groups—a principle that is highly relevant in addressing complex, large-scale issues like WASH.

Why is this relevant for a universal issue like water and sanitation?

I think the reasoning is pretty clear. Today, WASH has moved beyond being solely a government responsibility to being a community-led approach. Let us look back on the achievements of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in making India Open Defecation Free (ODF). While the top-down impetus came from the government, this movement would never have worked without the participation and involvement of the community— jan bhagidaari (people’s participation). Without the commitment of citizens and households in even the remotest part of India, the toilets constructed in the first phase of the SBM programme will lie unused.

The success of the SBM depended on breaking down barriers between different sectors and working toward a unified vision—a healthy ODF India. It took a mass movement, a paradigm shift. It wasn't just about building toilets; it was about changing behaviours, shifting mindsets, and ensuring that every community—no matter how remote—participated in the initiative. The mission’s success shows that once people feel they are working together toward a common goal, collaboration becomes not just possible but essential.

The issues we face in WASH are complex and multifaceted. Unhampered service delivery in rural areas, operations and maintenance of the sanitation infrastructure in urban areas, building climate resilience in our models, and hygiene and sanitation education across diverse communities are just a few examples. These problems cannot be tackled in isolation. The solution lies in collaboration between the government, NGOs, the private sector, local communities, and citizens themselves.

The Lighthouse Initiative, a flagship programme aimed at promoting sustainable and scalable solutions in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), serves as a prime example of effective collaboration. Launched as a public private partnership (PPP) by the India Sanitation Coalition, and the ministry of drinking water and sanitation, this initiative brought together local governments, and corporates to execute the checklist that would make the village an “ODF+ model” village. The ministry realised that budgets were lying unspent and the gram panchayats needed partners who could help them utilise the funds to improve hygiene through water and waste management. Corporates were invited to partner the State to enable proper execution and utilisation of these funds and the first few corporates Tata Trusts, ITC, HCL Foundation, JSW Foundation, JSPL, Ambuja Cement Foundation, AGA Khan Foundation and Nayara Energy came forward. By leveraging these PPPs, mainly between corporates and the government, the initiative harnessed diverse expertise and resources—from technology providers and infrastructure developers to local NGOs and community leaders. This collaborative approach not only ensured the technical viability of the solutions but also fostered local ownership, critical for the long-term sustainability of the projects. The first 75 gram panchayats in 15 states that were declared ODF+ Model villages under this initiative, will provide examples to neighbouring villages on what can be done. The Light House Initiative (LHI) is currently supporting 34 blocks in Phase 2 in 31 districts across 14 states with new corporates such as Hindalco joining the mission. The continued success of the LHI highlights how collaborative efforts from various stakeholders can drive impactful WASH solutions that are scalable and inclusive, addressing local needs while contributing to national and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goals.

For collaboration to be effective, a systematic approach to capturing and sharing knowledge is essential. In the WASH sector, India's vast diversity of regions, cultures, and needs means that solutions cannot be universally applied. However, by documenting successful models and practices, stakeholders can ensure these solutions are adaptable and replicable in different contexts, without reinventing the wheel each time. The India Sanitation Coalition publishes an annual Compendium of Best Practices in the water and sanitation space, showcasing the exemplary work undertaken by various stakeholders, including the government, corporations, NGOs, implementation firms, and startups. Whether it’s a low-cost toilet design for rural communities or a community-driven model scalable in urban slums, these shared insights help accelerate progress and create a ripple effect across the country. By promoting cross-sector collaboration through the Compendium, the India Sanitation Coalition exemplifies how collective effort can be harnessed to achieve sustainable, scalable solutions that benefit everyone.

No transformation is complete without the active involvement of both the private sector and society. In the WASH sector ‘s LHI initiative, businesses play a crucial role by adopting villages and providing oversight and execution of goals set by the government, finding technological innovations, supply chain support, and funding support where essential (the government remains the main funder) . However, to truly scale their impact, businesses must align their objectives with broader societal needs and collaborate across sectors. These partnerships bridge the gap between business-driven initiatives and community-led efforts, ensuring that corporate contributions are not merely transactional but deeply integrated into social outcomes. The more enlightened corporates who have joined this initiative, gain from healthy hygienic villages around their factories. Their workers are healthier leading to less absenteeism and disease, their loyalty to their employer and pride in the organisation increases, and the state government sees that corporate as an important partner. According to a Porter Novelli survey, over 90% of employees who work at companies with a strong sense of purpose say they’re more inspired, motivated and loyal (Forbes, 2023). Moreover, these collaborations engage society at large, cultivating a sense of ownership over WASH issues and galvanising public support for systemic change as they align with the important objectives of the SBM.

Another notable example of such collaboration is the India Sanitation Coalition's (ISC) Climate Resilient Coastal Cities programme, supported by HSBC India, which utilises nature-based solutions to ensure that sanitation infrastructure and services can withstand the impacts of climate change. Piloted in the coastal states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Goa, this initiative is developing replicable and scalable models for other coastal regions, demonstrating how collaboration between businesses, governments, and communities can create climate-resilient WASH systems. In addition to this, ISC is also working on several other programs addressing key issues such as plastic circularity with Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, the well-being of waste workers, and environmentally friendly waste management. These initiatives are being developed and implemented in collaboration with the ministry of housing and urban affairs and the department of drinking water and sanitation, with whom ISC has Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), as well as a range of corporate partners.

As we look to the future, continued collaboration will remain a critical force in transforming WASH systems. The ability to convene diverse players, share knowledge, and align resources is essential for achieving the systemic change we need.

The question is no longer whether we have the financial resources or the knowledge to solve the WASH challenges we face. Our technological advancements and the sustained budgetary allocations to the SBM program over the last decade prove that we do. The real question is whether we have the ability to collaborate to harness resources effectively so that we can create the collective momentum necessary for equitable solutions.

This article is authored by Naina Lal Kidwai, chair, India Sanitation Coalition, New Delhi.