Sanitations

Access to water and sanitation are considered as basic human rights. Easier access to water and sanitation facilities is known to improve human and social capital, and it lies at the very heart of human well-being. It is rightly labelled as a “moral and ethical imperative” by Lenton and Wright

While water and sanitation have been a significant part of the national agenda since the first five-year plan of 1951, there have been serious concerns about the effectiveness of services delivered to address these issues. Incidences of diarrhoea continue unabated with 9 per cent of all children below five falling victim to this disease1 , while high infant mortality (62 deaths/1,000 live births) continues to be attributed to poor sanitation2. The sustainability of government-run arrangements is also questioned in circumstances where despite 86 per cent of the population having access to safe water3 , many habitations quickly regress from full coverage to partial/no coverage situations. Sanitation coverage at a low of 22 per cent4a major deficit, combined with poor water supply, cumulates into serious public health hazards, especially for women and children. The Planning Commission, 2002, identified the primary reason of failure as lack of beneficiary participation in planning and management, with operational responsibility being placed solely on the government. Sanitation in particular is considered to be one of the most difficult goals to achieve among the MDGs, with about 2.4 billion people worldwide lacking access to it - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, 2008. Key challenges include tackling cultural and social issues of the behaviour change to ensure that toilets are not just built but are also used and maintained.

There is an emerging need to go beyond top-down notions of toilet construction and toilet coverage1. In the Marwar region, poor hygiene practices, open defecation, and minimal environmental sanitation take a major toll on public health. Such customary practices, entrenched over time, have led to deep-seated behaviours that are hard to change. With increased population, these practices have become a major cause of health hazards. Rajasthan has only 34 per cent sanitation coverage and is ranked 24th among the 28 Indian states2.. Studies conducted by JMF reveal that over 70 per cent of the health problems among school-going children in the Marwar region are due to inadequate water and poor sanitation facilities. Only 3 per cent of the rural population in Marwar has access to toilet facilities against the national average of 36.4 per cent. In order to find ways to secure people’s access to water resources for consumption and productive use as well as adequate sanitation, it is necessary to draw on innovative ideas both in terms of technological solutions and institutional frameworks.

Inspired by the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All) campaign, JMF has adopted a multi-pronged strategy: creating supportive arrangements for households to make decisions, promoting the demand for sanitation, initiating behavioural change, and stimulating systems of local supply and management that provide better facilities for waste disposal at the household level.

Initially, a pilot project, supported by the Wells of India (a UK-based charity working to bring water security and dignity to the poorest communities in rural Rajasthan), was implemented in a village cluster in Jodhpur district. This project mobilized local communities and imparted momentum for the further expansion of the WASH programme, which has now been up-scaled to cover a total of nine villages. The project has three interrelated activities: revival and construction of traditional rainwater-harvesting systems to ensure availability of water, construction of sanitation facilities, and promotion of improved hygiene practices.

Community institutions formed in the nine dhanis (hamlets) across the village area were empowered through the project’s decentralized planning and implementation processes. These institutions, called Jal Sabhas, have been capacitated to develop water management systems, construct sanitation facilities, and operate systems for solid and liquid waste management. Individuals residing in a dhani approach their Jal Sabha with a request for the construction of a toilet and contribute 50 per cent of the total cost in the form of cash and/or labour. Making individual contributions serves to inculcate a sense of ownership and value, ensuring the maintenance of the facility and thereby enhancing the project’s sustainability. In addition, decentralized community-led institutions facilitate a bottom-up approach to sanitation, bringing about behavioural and attitudinal changes.

The thrust has been on creating awareness and on mobilizing communities to regard sanitation as a priority, leading individuals to take effective and appropriate action. To ensure interest in, and ownership of, toilets, households have to contribute 50 per cent of the cost of construction. More importantly, communities have been educated on the need for liquid waste management, and they are constructing household soak-pits without any financial support. The approach relies heavily on the community to trigger individual action for building sanitation facilities. The peer-pressure approach and the painting of village maps highlighting households with toilets also contribute to the collective coming together of the people. The project has enabled many communities to construct sanitary facilities, leading to improved personal hygiene and waste disposal in the area.