The First Open Defecation-Free Municipality In India
In
West Bengal, the
community-led total sanitation (CLTS) model, which is a
grassroots
approach to sanitation, has helped deliver better access to toilets for
slum-dwellers.
This programme was introduced as
part of the DFID-funded
Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor (KUSP) programme,
and has helped Kalyani Municipality to become the first open
defecation-free municipality in India.
This means that 10,000 families in 52
slums are now using sanitary toilets in their homes. Incidences of
gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhoea and worm infestation, have more
than halved in the last two years.
Open defecation remains a challenge in India, with over 17% of the urban
population lacking access to toilets. In the state of West Bengal, that means over 1 million people in urban areas
with little or no access. Earlier models of government subsidies
for toilet construction have met with limited success: toilets have been in
disrepair, poorly maintained - and sometimes used instead as store rooms.
Learning from the success of Kalyani Municipality, five other urban local bodies
have come forward to adopt the approach, and the KUSP is providing them with
technical support to take this forward.
Ashufta Alam, DFID India's senior infrastructure and urban development adviser, commented:
For more about our work on urban poverty, read India's 'Slumdog' Millions
Working together for a cleaner neighbourhood
Community
leadership and collective action has been instrumental in supporting households
to construct low-cost toilets with their own funds, repair hand pumps to improve
access to water, clean clogged drains, dispose of solid waste, and raise awareness
of hygiene practices.
Sustained changes in behaviour in Kalyani has led to cleaner and more hygienic slum neighbourhoods. Toilets are now being used widely by families there, and women and girls have particularly benefited.
The benefits of adopting that this go beyond sanitation infrastructure. The strong local community structures that have been developed have led to other benefits such as community monitoring and improved maintenance of constructed toilets.
Secondary benefits include reduced alcoholism and domestic
violence, improved school attendance by slum children, and improved uptake of
non-formal and adult education within slums.
Key Facts and Stats
- A quarter of the urban population (around 18 million people) in the largest cities of India still live in slums.
- Improving access to clean water and sanitation remains a significant problem: Only 51% of urban households have piped water; and only 53% of urban households have access to hygienic sanitation facilities.
- DFID has around 20 years of involvement in the urban sector in India. Over this period our programmes have evolved from a concentration on infrastructure and community schemes to a focus on strengthening the ability of municipal authorities to deliver better services.
- DFID is supporting the Government of India to implement its £6 billion flagship urban renewal programme. This programme focuses on improving supply of clean water, proper waste disposal, urban infrastructure and other municipal services.
- Kalyani Municipality is one of the 41 urban local bodies supported under the DFID funded KUSP programme. KUSP is helping to improve quality of life of over 2.4 million poor people through stronger urban, governance, provision of water, sanitation and basic environmental infrastructure and policy reform.
For further information on this initiative and the impact of Kolkata
Urban Services for the Poor Programme, contact Debbie Menezes (d-menezes@dfid.gov.uk)
