Providing environmentally-safe sanitation to millions of people is a significant challenge, especially in the world’s second most populated country. The task is doubly difficult in a country where the introduction of new technologies can challenge people’s traditions and beliefs. This discussion paper examines the current state of sanitation services in India in relation to two goals—Goal 7 of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which calls on countries to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without improved sanitation facilities (from 1990 levels); and India’s more ambitious goal of providing “Sanitation for All” by 2012, established under its Total Sanitation Campaign. This paper discusses six recommendations that can help key stakeholders address the significant obstacles in providing universal sanitation coverage in India. These recommendations, listed below, are based largely on a recent Asian Development Bank (ADB) study—Sanitation in India: Progress, Differentials, Correlates, and Challenges—that looked at trends in access to household sanitation and drainage in India.
Successful pro-poor sanitation programs must be scaled up.
1) Assistance is still not reaching large numbers of the poorest of the poor. Successful models must be replicated and scaled up to serve those who cannot provide for their own needs under existing service delivery systems. Investments must be customized and targeted to those most in need.
2) With more than 450 million Indians living below the poverty line, only a few of the poor who have inadequate sanitation can be assisted right away. Due to limited resources, programs should target groups or locations lagging behind the furthest.
Cost-effective options must be explored.
3) Appropriate lower-cost solutions offer a safe alternative to a wider range of the population. Higher-cost options can be explored when economic growth permits. Regardless of cost, all systems should address sanitation all the way “from toilet to river.” Proper planning and sequencing must be applied.
4) Investing in incremental improvements is an approach that one could consider if affordability of sanitation investment is an issue. Careful planning is required to ensure that investments do not become wasteful and redundant. Community-based solutions must be adopted where possible.
5) An approach known as Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has been found to be effective in promoting change at the community level. Efforts must address sociocultural attitudes toward sanitation and involve women as agents of change. Another innovation is the socialized community-fund raising, which has met great success among the rural poor. Innovative partnerships must be forged to stimulate investments.
6) The key is to stimulate investments from as wide a range of sources as possible, including the private sector, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and consumers themselves. This may require working with a wide range of partners through innovative public–private partnerships. In making these recommendations, this paper targets designers and implementers of sanitation programs in India, as well as those who make policies that advance the sanitation cause. This may include people within government ministries, state and local governments, and nongovernment organizations. It also includes development agencies like ADB, which have the ability to wield significant influence in the sector.
(Source- http://www.adb.org)
Successful pro-poor sanitation programs must be scaled up.
1) Assistance is still not reaching large numbers of the poorest of the poor. Successful models must be replicated and scaled up to serve those who cannot provide for their own needs under existing service delivery systems. Investments must be customized and targeted to those most in need.
2) With more than 450 million Indians living below the poverty line, only a few of the poor who have inadequate sanitation can be assisted right away. Due to limited resources, programs should target groups or locations lagging behind the furthest.
Cost-effective options must be explored.
3) Appropriate lower-cost solutions offer a safe alternative to a wider range of the population. Higher-cost options can be explored when economic growth permits. Regardless of cost, all systems should address sanitation all the way “from toilet to river.” Proper planning and sequencing must be applied.
4) Investing in incremental improvements is an approach that one could consider if affordability of sanitation investment is an issue. Careful planning is required to ensure that investments do not become wasteful and redundant. Community-based solutions must be adopted where possible.
5) An approach known as Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has been found to be effective in promoting change at the community level. Efforts must address sociocultural attitudes toward sanitation and involve women as agents of change. Another innovation is the socialized community-fund raising, which has met great success among the rural poor. Innovative partnerships must be forged to stimulate investments.
6) The key is to stimulate investments from as wide a range of sources as possible, including the private sector, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and consumers themselves. This may require working with a wide range of partners through innovative public–private partnerships. In making these recommendations, this paper targets designers and implementers of sanitation programs in India, as well as those who make policies that advance the sanitation cause. This may include people within government ministries, state and local governments, and nongovernment organizations. It also includes development agencies like ADB, which have the ability to wield significant influence in the sector.
(Source- http://www.adb.org)
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