Climate Resilience Portfolio

INTRODUCTION

Reach India Trust is deeply committed to advancing climate resilience by empowering vulnerable communities through integrated, climate-responsive development programmes. Over the past 17 years, the organisation has consistently worked in high-risk, underserved regions where the impacts of climate change—such as recurrent floods, rising temperatures, declining air quality, and environmental degradation—directly affect the health, sanitation, and livelihoods of households.

Driven by the vision of creating sustainable and climate-adaptive communities, Reach India Trust designs and implements large-scale interventions that enable households to anticipate, absorb, and adapt to climate-related risks. The organisation’s climate-resilience framework focuses on three interconnected pillars: infrastructure strengthening, behaviour change, and community capacity building. These efforts ensure that climate action is not limited to technological solutions alone, but is supported by strong community ownership and systemic change.

A major component of this work involves supporting households in adopting climate-adaptive sanitation and hygiene practices. In flood-prone districts of Bihar, where a large number of toilets become defunct due to structural issues, monsoon flooding, and lack of maintenance, Reach India Trust promotes retrofitting solutions, safely managed sanitation systems (SMSS), and hand hygiene for all (HH4A). These interventions help communities transition from unsafe practices to durable, resilient sanitation options that can withstand climatic stress. Additionally, the organisation leads widespread behaviour change communication (BCC) campaigns, ensuring that households not only have access to improved infrastructures but also adopt safe, consistent hygiene behaviours.

Beyond WASH, Reach India Trust has expanded its climate portfolio to address broader environmental concerns such as air quality deterioration, solid waste mismanagement, and householdlevel risk mitigation. Community awareness programmes are conducted on the impacts of poor air quality, preventive measures, and the importance of clean household energy. These efforts are complemented by training sessions, local action plans, and school- and community-level demonstrations that promote climate literacy and informed decision-making.