Sanitation and Hygiene

Swacchagrahis: The frontline workers of India's largest sanitation program

There is a need for long term sustained engagement of the skilled workforce for water and sanitation Amita Bhaduri posted 3 days 7 hours ago

There is good evidence that frontline workers have proved to be gamechanger in the delivery of services like health and integrated child development services (ICDS).

Swachhagrahis are the motivators for bringing about behaviour change concerning key sanitation practices in rural India. (Image: SBM)

Climate change threatens water access for world’s poorest communities

Clean water plays a critical role in helping communities cope with climate change. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 weeks 6 days ago

The impact of climate change on people’s water supplies is threatening to put progress on bringing clean water to all back decades unless urgent action is taken to help the world’s poorest communities adjust to changing weather patterns.

Unless communities have access to a reliable and safe source of water, their health will suffer. (Image: WaterAid)

Young professionals to motivate people to participate in rural sanitation

Involving youth to identify appropriate WASH solutions Amita Bhaduri posted 1 month ago

We all know that regular use of toilets is very important for having good health.

The Young Professionals worked closely with the District and aimed to fill the gap of the Swachchata Dooths (Image: SCOPE)

Jalabandhus for sustainable service delivery

Water For People develops a cadre of entrepreneurs delivering critical services for water security. Amita Bhaduri posted 2 months ago

As a major source of potable water, hand pumps are ubiquitous in rural India.

Mini piped water scheme helps overcome social exclusion

Promoting sustainable systems that facilitate provision of safe water and sanitation to communities in a tribal village. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months ago

In 2016, India ranked 131 among 188 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI). With a population of 1.3 billion, the need for services is high, a

Anganwadi Centres now provided with improved toilets and running water (Image: Water For People India)

Sanitation workers amid the pandemic

The pandemic has exacerbated the issues of exclusion and vulnerability of sanitation workers. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 2 weeks ago

Sanitation workers are out in full force tasked with disinfecting the public spaces as COVID-19 crisis continues to impact the country on top of other serious challenges faced by our WASH sector.

Despite the risks and the dire conditions of their work, sanitation workers continued to do their job (Image: C S Sharada Prasad, India Water Portal)

Land and environmental approvals needed for faecal sludge treatment facilities

There is an urgent need for specific guidelines and rules for the selection of sites for setting up faecal sludge treatment facilities. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 3 weeks ago

Despite an enabling framework for implementation of Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) initiatives, there exists a vacuum concerning specific guidelines/rules for the selection of sites for setting up of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs).

The site for the FSTP should be able to accommodate present and anticipated future requirements. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)

Getting communities engaged in faecal sludge management

Community engagement structures, especially at the slum and ward level, can take on roles with adequate capacity building and training inputs. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 3 weeks ago

Gyanchand Mishra, Councillor of Ward 3, is the President of the Ward Sanitation Committee (WSC) and is also a member of the City Sanitation Task Force (CSTF).

Community engagement structures at the slum level have ensured that the most marginalized and vulnerable sections of a city, that is, the slum communities now have a voice. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)

Strengthening institutional arrangements for faecal sludge management

Project Nirmal created sub-city level (slum and ward) engagement structures to enable meaningful participation of all households, in the planning and management of sanitation service delivery. Amita Bhaduri posted 3 months 3 weeks ago

Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) has close linkages with a variety of development themes such as environment, health and human rights.

An assessment at the beginning of Project Nirmal indicated the absence of institutional mechanisms for effective coordination and collaboration among the various government departments across state, district and local levels (Image: SuSanA Secretariat)

Embracing planning for faecal sludge management: The tale of two towns

How to plan for and implement FSM related initiatives in small towns? Amita Bhaduri posted 4 months ago

Under Project Nirmal, a detailed planning process was undertaken for designing Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) interventions in Angul and Dhenkanal Municipalities based on the existing sanitation situation in the towns, the techno-economic feasibility as well as cap