Discussion Guest Moderator: A. K. Singh, Sulabh International, New Delhi

Posted 20 June 2007

I am pleased to be invited to seek the help of the Water Community for my chosen task. At the Visioning Workshop of the Water Community in March 2007, I volunteered to act as a "convener" for engaging the Community in addressing this important topic. This e-discussion continues the conversations on the topic from the workshop towards a possible action group assignment for the Community on Strategies for Scaling up Rural Sanitation Coverage.

Original Query: V. Kurian Baby, Socio-Economic Unit Foundation (SEUF), Kerala

Posted: 3 August 2006

Reforms in water and sanitation (watsan) sector have by now become institutionalized through: (a) pilot testing of alternate service delivery models by donors and GoI in selected locations and subsequent scaling up into programmes such as Swajaldhara and TSC across the country; (b) evidences of community acceptance, confidence and credibility in genuine reforms (c) demonstrated willingness to pay for assured, reliable and quality water services demonstrated at community level and (d) vesting watsan governance as a desirable responsibility to PRIs.

Original Query: Vijaya Saradhi Atluri, Byrraju Foundation, Hyderabad

Posted: 20 April 2006

Byrraju Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing about a tangible improvement in the quality of lives of the rural underprivileged. We are currently working in 150 villages across five districts of Andhra Pradesh, India and impact nearly 1 million rural lives. Our programmes include a water treatment plant, constructed by contribution from NRI and 50% by contribution from foundation. Plastic cans are used to deliver water and sold at 1.50 to 2 RS. Per liter and enough is recovered to pay for O and M cost of the plant.

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).

The case study titled “Rural Sanitary Marts: Developing a sustainable alternate delivery mechanism for sanitation in West Bengal” has been written Alok Kumar and Sumita Ganguly in India Infrastructure Report, published in 2007 by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). It presents that the Rural Sanitary Mart (RSM) typically rural production centres and retail outlets that manufacture and market low-cost hardware and provide services was rapidly expanded and becomes sustainable over a period of time in West Bengal.

“Success Stories-Sanitation and hygiene in India”, which have been developed and published by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). It presents the success stories of Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) and its impact all across India.

"Beyond Construction: Use by All" is a collection of case studies from sanitation and hygiene promotion practitioners in South Asia, published in 2008, by WaterAid and the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre.

This document has the following four case studies from India:

Sl. 10. India's national sanitation and hygiene programme: From experience to policy, West Bengal and Maharashtra models provide keys to success - Pg 126: This paper analyses the progress of the Total Sanitation Campaign being implemented in rural India, with a focus on West Bengal and Maharashtra, and draws lessons from these two states (apart from Kerala) which are in the forefront in this national campaign for total sustainable sanitation.