A/HRC/45/10/Add.2 potential impact on access to drinking water, however, it does not further detail or reference any of the normative content of the human rights to water and sanitation.5 20. The Special Rapporteur reiterates that megaprojects can have clear impacts not only the human rights to water and sanitation, but on many human rights of persons they affect (A/74/197, para. 86). Though they may cover the impact of projects on water resources, environmental impact assessments have a different scope on the impacts of projects the human rights to water and sanitation (A/74/197, para. 57). Impact assessments must take into account all aspects of the normative content of the rights to water and sanitation, and must be undertaken in accordance with human rights principles (A/74/197, para. 13). PROGRESS NOT STARTED: The Special Rapporteur reiterates the need for the Government to make human rights impact assessments a requirement for all megaprojects. III. National policies on water and sanitation 21. Among several policies and programmes aimed at improving access to drinking water and sanitation, the Clean India Mission was the most frequently discussed topic of the Special Rapporteur’s visit in 2017 (A/HRC/39/55/Add.1, para. 13). Launched in 2014, the Clean India Mission aimed to eradicate open defecation through the mass installation of toilets across the country by 2019. The programme was divided into two components: the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation was responsible for the rural component and the urban component was under the purview of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (A/HRC/39/55/Add.1, para. 15). 22. The Special Rapporteur praised the unprecedented effort undertaken by the Government, particularly he was impressed by the nationwide momentum, from the central Government to the most basic unit of administration and the general public, to eliminate open defecation, to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to focus on sanitation (A/HRC/39/55/Add.1, para. 13). In his end-of-mission press statement, the Special Rapporteur referred to the programme as a unique effort of a country to face its challenges related to sanitation in an extremely short time span, and as a large step towards the progressive realization of the Indian population’s human right to sanitation.6 23. At the time of the visit in November 2017, 53 million toilets had been built, with an additional 4.9 million being built as at May 2018 (A/HRC/39/55/Add.1, para. 14). Despite the increase in numbers of toilets, the Special Rapporteur raised several concerns from a human rights perspective (A/HRC/39/55/Add.1, paras. 16 and 21). A. Recommendations on monitoring national policies on water and sanitation RECOMMENDATION 6: “Continuously monitor the implementation of national policies on water and sanitation from a human rights perspective and reassess those policies to strengthen the incorporation of the human rights framework as a whole;” (A/HRC/39/55, Add.1, para. 71(e)). 24. At the end of the visit in 2017, the Special Rapporteur noted that monitoring of the Clean India Mission was focused on counting numbers of toilets built and administrative division that had achieved open defecation free status, at the expense of contextual information and considering the characteristics of particular groups that may have different sanitation needs (A/HRC/39/55/Add.1, para. 21). 5 6 6 Centre for Science and Environment, Social Impact Assessment and Social Impact Management Plan, an indicative structure (2017). See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22375.