Can a campaign influence public policy: an evidence from Mumbai slums

Inadequate water supply ranks among the most pressing challenges facing poor citizens in developing countries. The lack of potable water poses a serious threat to public health. Water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera are a primary cause of infant mortality worldwide. We are conducting a study in Mumbai, India, to shed fresh light on the demand-side hurdles to formalized water access. We evaluate interventions that empower citizens to shift away from dependence on informal water supply services; principally illegal pipe connections, and paying for water sold on an ad hoc basis; into formal, state-based water provisioning, provided by the Mumbai municipal government. In one set of Mumbai slums, our NGO partners will disseminate information and give on-the-ground assistance in completing the (complex) paperwork needed to get connected. In a second arm, citizens will collectively petition local politicians to expedite the connection process. Morsel is gathering survey data from 7000 HHs in 140 slum clusters across the city.