From Indira Khurana, WaterAid India, New Delhi

Posted 20 June 2007

You are aware that the Nirmal Gram Puruskar (NGP) has been instituted to “add vigour” to the Total Sanitation Campaign. In 2007, the National Committee on Nirmal Gram Puraskar selected 4,437 Gram Panchayats and Block Panchayats from 22 states for awards under NGP. The number of award winners has risen from 40 in 2005, 769 in 2006 to 4437 in 2007. These awards were given by His Excellency the President of India Shri A P J Abdul Kalam.

From Lizette Burgers, UNICEF, New Delhi

Posted 20 October 2008

The South Asia Conferences on Sanitation (SACOSAN) are high-powered regional ministerial conferences that discuss sanitation. They help develop a regional agenda on sanitation, enable learning from experiences and plans for the future. The objectives are to accelerate sanitation and hygiene coverage, and enhance peoples’ quality of life in keeping with the Millennium Development Goals and the commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 1992. Till date, two conferences have been held at Bangladesh (2003) and Pakistan (2006).

From Benny George, Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, New Delhi

Posted 19 July 2007

I work as a Consultant (Monitoring and Evaluation) with the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. As you are aware, the Department is implementing a number of programmes for ensuring the supply of safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities in rural areas of India. According to the latest estimates, sanitation coverage in India has reached 44 per cent. Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), implemented by the Department, aims to achieve full sanitation coverage by 2012, well ahead of the targets set under MDG 7. The Nirmal Gram Puraskar has given a fillip to achieving open defecation free status and some states like Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura are on the verge of achieving full sanitation coverage.

Original Query: Gopal Sane, Samruddhi, New Delhi

Posted: 22 March 2006

I have been working with bio sanitizers used in septic tanks and wet kitchen waste treatment and I found that the odors and pests like mosquitoes and cockroaches disappeared. I want to take this idea to densely populated slums in cities like Delhi, where wet kitchen waste and open sewage creating odor and pests is a common problem, but I have found much resistance in getting ready acceptance from communities, even in spite of the obvious benefits.

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.

“Diarrheal disease: Solutions to Defeat a Global Killer”, the research study conducted by PATH to evaluate the global health funding and policy landscape found that diarrheal disease ranked last among a list of other global health issues. Public awareness of this issue is also low, making it difficult to mobilize commitments and resources. In donor countries such as the United States, many are unaware of the burden of diarrheal disease and the existing prevention and treatment options.

“Toilets and More” published by the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) in SACOSAN-III November 2008, is a manual about the dissemination in all countries for achieving the common goal of new standards of hygiene, health and empowerment for the people of South Asian Region.  

In 2006, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report highlighting the most common cause of death among children. The purpose was to raise the profile of that neglected disease. This report is written with the intent to focus attention on the prevention and management of diarrhoeal diseases as central to improving child survival.

“Water and Sanitation in Rural Areas of Madhya Pradesh”, written by Amod Khanna and Chitra Khanna in 2006 and published by WaterAid India, is a report to assess and understand the context of rural water and sanitation programme in the state of Madhya Pradesh and drew contours of issues that seemed relevant at the state level.

The present study explores the issue of water and sanitation in various dimensions and finds out that the current state of water and sanitation in Madhya Pradesh falls short on equity, inclusion, ensuring water security, sustainability of water sources and their long term impact on environment.

The case study titled “CDD-WATSAN Project in Ganjam and Kandhamal – An Assessment 1991-96” has been developed and published in 2004 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). This paper discusses the Control of Diarrhoea Diseases-Water Sanitation (CDD-WATSAN) project Ganjam and Kandhamal districts in Orissa from 1996 to 1999. A comparison of final impact assessments of the 2 districts is presented in terms of changes in the access to and use of water and sanitary facilities within households and primary schools, and improved hygiene practices and diarrhoea management at home.