An intersectional approach is necessary to tackle floods, which pose unique health and safety challenges for vulnerable women and girls
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Like clockwork, annual floods across India disrupt water and sanitation systems, exposing women and girls to often unnoticed health and safety risks. India is the second worst flood-affected country in the world after Bangladesh, with 40 million hectares of its land prone to flooding. The floods disrupt access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, leaving communities—especially women and girls—at risk of compromised health outcomes and pushing the country behind on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.
India is the second worst flood-affected country in the world after Bangladesh, with 40 million hectares of its land prone to flooding.
People’s abilities and opportunities are shaped by their intersecting identities. Thus, floods amplify existing gender disparities in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access. Despite ongoing efforts to improve WASH infrastructure and disaster resilience, existing policies often lack a gender-sensitive lens. Disaster management plans and WASH policies rarely consider the unique needs of women, resulting in interventions that are neither inclusive nor effective at addressing gender-specific vulnerabilities. Approximately 43 percent of the 28 state climate action plans neglect gender-specific WASH considerations. There is an urgent need to address the needs of women and girls in WASH and maternal health services during floods in India.
a. Establish gender-segregated, flood-resilient sanitation facilities
One of the largest challenges that women and girls face during emergencies like floods is a lack of access to safe sanitation facilities. Most household and community toilets are either submerged or damaged during floods. Women and girls are forced to defecate in the open, which compromises their safety and privacy. Studies show that women who practice open defecation are more likely to face non-partner sexual violence. In temporary shelters, there is often no provision for separate toilets for women and men. In many cases, facilities are placed in remote or poorly lit areas, increasing the risk of sexual harassment and assault. As a result, many women and girls choose not to use these facilities, even at the cost of their health and well-being.
In many cases, facilities are placed in remote or poorly lit areas, increasing the risk of sexual harassment and assault.
It is crucial to establish gender-segregated, flood-resilient sanitation facilities. In the short term, portable sanitation solutions such as eco-toilets can be used on a large scale. They can be deployed quickly through government contracts with private vendors. Employing community workers through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to ensure that latrines are well-maintained can also be considered. In the medium term, scalable solutions like prefabricated flood-resilient toilet blocks can be prioritised by the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA). These structures can be quickly assembled and relocated, if and when needed. Further, installing solar-powered lighting units around sanitation facilities can enhance safety and help prevent gender-based violence, especially during nighttime. In the long-term, these facilities should be integrated into district-level disaster preparedness plans as well as the National Health Mission, so that they are maintained and used safely.
b. Ensure continuous access to clean water supply
Another significant challenge that is unjustly faced by women and girls is limited access to clean water. Floods contaminate traditional water sources since floodwaters carry disease-carrying pathogens and chemical pollutants. Women, primarily responsible for collecting water, are forced to rely on unsafe water sources. They may also be at risk when travelling long distances in dangerous conditions to fetch clean water. Temporary shelters often ration limited water supplies. Women and girls may not get sufficient water for personal hygiene needs, particularly during menstruation.
Women and girls may not get sufficient water for personal hygiene needs, particularly during menstruation.
Thus, during floods, ensuring continuous access to clean and safe water is critical, especially for women and girls. In the short term, portable water purification kits and filters should be distributed in high-risk areas before the flood season. Households led by women and those with pregnant or lactating mothers should be prioritised. Over the medium term, elevated water storage tanks can be constructed in flood-prone villages, and hand pumps can be installed on raised platforms to keep them accessible during floods. In the long term, decentralised water kiosks managed by local women’s self-help groups (SHGs) can be established to ensure sustainable water access. A community-based water quality monitoring program will also be useful to train women to regularly test water quality and report contamination. The Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), can fund and facilitate these kiosks as an extension of the existing groundwater management programmes.
c. Enhance menstrual hygiene management during emergencies
Approximately 78 percent of adolescent girls in India use hygienic menstrual methods. However, this percentage varies for different states. For instance, only 59 percent of people in Bihar use hygienic menstrual methods, the lowest of any state. During floods and other climate emergencies, this problem worsens. Access to sanitary pads, clean cloth, or other menstrual hygiene management (MHM) products becomes even more limited. Relief efforts often overlook these essential items or provide items in too short supply. Cultural norms around menstruation mean that women and girls may not be able to speak openly about their needs, leading to neglect in disaster relief planning. For instance, Bihar’s State Disaster Management Plan has no mention of MHM.
Safeguard the health and dignity of women and girls, it is essential to integrate MHM into disaster response.
To safeguard the health and dignity of women and girls, it is essential to integrate MHM into disaster response. Each vulnerable state could maintain storage centers with emergency relief kits (similar to United Nations (UN) Dignity Kits) that can be distributed swiftly and widely. Temporary shelters must have designated MHM corners with washing stations, privacy curtains, and disposal facilities. Mobile health and hygiene units, funded under the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme, can play an important role in reaching remote areas with MHM supplies and education during flood emergencies. Partnerships between local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and state government agencies such as the Disaster Management Division and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) can produce affordable, biodegradable sanitary products, and educate communities on safe MHM practices during flood events.
d. Strengthen Maternal Health Services with a Focus on WASH
Perhaps the most consequential challenge is the disruption of maternal health. Many healthcare facilities in flood-prone areas lack adequate WASH facilities. When these centers become inaccessible or are damaged during floods, pregnant women struggle to receive prenatal and postnatal care. This is particularly dangerous in regions like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, where maternal health indicators are already poor.
In the short term, it is essential to increase the number of mobile health clinics and promote the use of healthcare phone apps, especially near maternity shelters and relief camps. This can be done in coordination with SDMAs and the DDMAs (District Disaster Management Authorities). Such clinics, equipped with basic WASH amenities, including clean water and sanitation supplies, can ensure that pregnant women have access to safe delivery spaces. Medium-term efforts should focus on building permanent flood-resilient healthcare infrastructure in high-risk areas. Training more Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers to support maternal health during floods can help ensure that maternal care continues even when access to hospitals is limited. Long-term solutions include strengthening telemedicine infrastructure to allow remote consultations during floods.
There are often no mechanisms to gather feedback from women and girls about their specific WASH needs during and after floods.
e. Promote women’s participation in WASH and disaster management
The fifth obstacle that women and girls face is their exclusion from WASH-related decision-making and disaster relief planning. 43 percent of the 28 state action plans on climate change and disasters do not substantially mention gender. Out of 94,197 trained Aapda Mitra volunteers, just 16,822 are women. There are often no mechanisms to gather feedback from women and girls about their specific WASH needs during and after floods. Their exclusion results in plans that do not address gender-specific needs.
To overcome this, women must be empowered to take an active role in WASH and disaster management. Short-term training programs must be provided for women and girls in flood-prone areas, focusing on basic WASH management and community hygiene promotion. A minimum percentage of female participation in local disaster management committees should be mandated, as done in groundwater management programs, which requires a minimum of 33 percent of women’s representation in water budgeting and water security planning exercises. Over the medium term, Women’s WASH Committees could be established in these communities, overseeing the maintenance of WASH facilities and monitoring water quality. In the long term, institutionalising women’s representation in district disaster management committees will ensure that women’s voices are included in disaster planning and response.
Flooding does more than devastate infrastructure—it deepens existing inequalities, with women and girls bearing the brunt of compromised WASH services. India now needs to advance towards a future where women and girls in flood-prone areas are not passive recipients of aid but active participants in building healthier communities.
Abhishree Pandey is a Research Intern at the Observer Research Foundation
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Abhishree is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Economy and Growth in New Delhi. Her areas of interest include climate policy, energy, and adaptation ...
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