This stamp was issued by India Post on 10th September 1990 at the occasion of a global consultation on Safe Water and Sanitation held in New Delhi in 1990. The consultation was held at the culmination of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD).

The IDWSSD had its origin at the Water Conference held in Mar–Del–Plata in 1977 and a subsequent UN General Assembly resolution in 1980. About 120 developing countries actively participated in the programme.

The stamp depicts a woman using the UNICEF India Water Pump Mark II. The India Water Pump Mark II is the world’s most widely used water handpump and was initially designed together by UNICEF and WHO focusing on enhanced water security in rural India.

By early 2024, major initiatives such as the Government ‘s ‘Jal Jeevan mission’ had helped 145 million rural households to access tap water. In addition, between 2014 – 2020, India’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, launched in 2014 with the aim of eliminating open defecation in rural areas, had contributed to the construction of more than 100 million toilets across rural India.

As of September 2025, over 12 crore toilets have been constructed across the country, driving a sharp reduction in open defecation and enhancing the safety and dignity of women. According to a World Health Report, this shift has helped save nearly 3 lakh children under the age of five from diseases linked to poor sanitation marking a major stride in public health and quality of life.