Lately, in development circles—particularly in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector—there’s a growing emphasis on building climate resilience. And rightly so. The urgency is real. Climate shocks are no longer distant possibilities but lived realities, especially for those already navigating the daily struggles of accessing basic services like water and sanitation. However, efforts largely focus on simply making infrastructure climate adapted – essential but not the whole story. To ensure WASH services remain reliable and inclusive in the face of a changing climate it is vital we strengthen not just physical systems, but the entire WASH ecosystem.
When basic services like safe toilets and clean water are disrupted—due to floods, cyclones, or prolonged droughts—the consequences go beyond mere inconvenience. They cascade through the lives of already marginalised communities, threatening their health, safety, dignity, and livelihoods. Even for those who do have access to improved sanitation, these services are often rendered useless when extreme weather events strike. Without robust systems that can withstand or bounce back from climate shocks, the risk of waterborne diseases, environmental degradation, and social vulnerability only deepens.
In recent years, we’ve seen encouraging movement in the sector. Organisations like UNICEF, the World Health Organization, WaterAid and the Global Water Partnership have brought attention to the need for climate-resilient sanitation systems—not just as infrastructure, but as an integrated part of community resilience. A policy brief by WaterAid urges us to consider resilience as a core feature of all sanitation systems. Similarly, a vital focus of our FINISH Mondial programme, is ensuring sanitation infrastructure is adapted to changing climate realities—from flood-resilient toilets in Bangladesh to high groundwater-safe sanitation systems in India.
But we go beyond infrastructure-focused interventions recognising that building climate resilience in sanitation isn’t just about engineering toilets. It’s about making entire systems—financial, institutional, behavioral—more responsive and adaptable to climate shocks. This includes how communities access financing, how institutions respond to disruptions, and how services are restored post-crisis.
Restoring sanitation in crisis hit communities
In 2020, Cyclone Amphan tore through eastern India devastating communities on the east coast. In the village of Tulasi Chaura, many sanitation facilities were completely destroyed.
A loss which not only forced households to return to open defecation but also exposed them to increased health risks—including the potential for diarrhoeal disease outbreaks as contaminated water sources and inadequate sanitation create ideal conditions for the rapid spread of waterborne illnesses.
Recently, our local implementing partner, Trust of People, spoke with Mrs. Rasmita Subhudhi, a resident of Tulasi Chaura who lived through the devastating impact of Cyclone Amphan—an experience that destroyed her toilet leaving her household exposed to new vulnerabilities.
She recalls that, already financially constrained, she had no means to rebuild it on her own. Yet, determined to restore a sense of dignity and safety for her family—especially her daughter—she turned to Sampark Microfinance, one of FINISH Mondial India’s partner institutions.
Through Sampark, she was able to access a small top-up sanitation loan of around €100—far less than the typical €350 needed for a full toilet construction. With this crucial support, she rebuilt her toilet. For her, it wasn’t just a structure; it was a step towards regaining control, ensuring safety, and restoring a basic sense of normality.
Building climate resilience across the whole system
What’s important here is not just Mrs. Subhudhi’s determination, but the institutional adaptation that made it possible. Sampark, like a few other microfinance institutions we work with, has started integrating flexible post-disaster loans into its WASH portfolio. These are not massive, donor-driven emergency funds. They’re small, community-rooted adjustments that make the sanitation system more resilient. In this case, the system adapted to the shock—not just by rebuilding infrastructure, but by enabling households to recover through dignified financing mechanisms.
This shift is meaningful. It creates a ripple effect. As word spread in Tulasi Chaura about the availability of sanitation top-up loans, more households began seeking similar support.
When we talk about climate-resilient sanitation, we often default to the physical—elevated toilets, reinforced pits, flood-proof designs. These are important, but insufficient on their own. True resilience means that whole systems—human, financial, institutional—can absorb shocks, adapt, and continue to deliver essential services. And that recovery is possible not just for the well-off, but for the most vulnerable too.
A reality made possible not just by well-designed and sustainably resourced sanitation infrastructure, but also by the strength of the systems that surround it.
Through FINISH Mondial, we’ve supported microfinance institutions in building capacity to integrate WASH financing into their core portfolios—an investment that has led some partners to go even further, introducing flexible instruments like top-up loans to meet evolving community needs. This approach aligns with WASTE’s Diamond Model, which brings together communities, financiers, businesses, and government actors to co-create resilient sanitation ecosystems. When each part of the system is engaged, prepared, and connected, sanitation services are not only more likely to withstand climate shocks—they’re also more likely to bounce back quickly and equitably.
Mrs. Subhudhi’s story reminds us that resilience isn’t always built on large-scale physical interventions. It’s in the small acts of institutional flexibility and community agency. It’s in the shift from viewing sanitation as simply infrastructure to recognising it as a dynamic, responsive system. And it’s in acknowledging that the people most affected by climate shocks are also capable of shaping their own recovery—when the system is willing to support them.
As we push forward in the climate and WASH space, let’s not forget this: a toilet rebuilt through a small loan after a cyclone may seem minor. But in the bigger picture, it’s part of how we build systems that bend, but don’t break.
Authored by WASH Specialist, Sajib Mahanta, with valuable support and field insights provided by the FINISH Mondial India team.
Please note the cover graphic is generated using AI tools.
