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).

Original Query: Dinesh Kumar, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Anand, Gujarat

Posted: 9 September 2005

I am Dinesh Kumar working at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Anand, Gujarat.

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.

“Sustaining the Sanitation Revolution-India Country Paper” has been presented and published by the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) for SACOSAN-III in 16-21 November 2008, paper is divided into two parts – rural and urban sanitation however, in both rural and urban spheres, it highlights the promising initiatives are underway to tackle the sanitation challenge in India.

“What is ailing sanitation sector in India?” written by Depinder S Kapur in November 19, 2007 published by WaterAid India for World Toilet Day, studies show that sanitation is the most neglected and most off-track of the UN MDG targets and is vital for poverty reduction and represents a driver for development.

“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.

“Doing CLTS in a Countrywide Program Context in India: Public Good v Private Good” written by Nisheeth Kumar and J.P. Shukla published in November 2008 by Knowledge Links, paper examines the adoption and spread of CLTS in India mainly with reference to states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. The purpose of this inquiry has been to identify factors that help or hinder scaling up of CLTS as an approach to do rural sanitation in India. According to the study the engaged CLTS practitioners convinced about the efficacy of the approach in bringing about faster and more sustainable sanitation results on the ground.

The report highlight a 10 day intensive and interactive programme, The International Learning Exchange (ILE) in water, sanitation and hygiene which was designed and conducted by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) India in cooperation with the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India and Governments of five states that were visited from 13 to 23 November 2006.

“A human rights-based approach to water and sanitation” published in September 2008 by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), this paper highlights the issue of the right to water, the challenges associated with its implementation and how such challenges might be addressed.

“Experiences with Ecosan Systems to Provide Sustainable Sanitation for Schools in Kenya and India” written by Rahul Ingle, Christian Rieck and Elisabeth v. Münch published in 2009 by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and Ecosan Services Foundation (ESF), paper describes the experiences and lessons learnt from using ecosan systems in some schools in Kenya and India.