Total Sanitation Programme in India Essay Example

Total Sanitation Programme in India Paper Individual Health and hygiene is largely dependent on adequate availability of drinking water and proper sanitation. There is, therefore,a direct relationship between water,sanitation and health. Consumption of unsafe drinking water, improper disposal of human excreta, improper environmental sanitation and lack of personal and food hygiene have been major causes of many diseases in developing countries. Individual Health and hygiene is largely dependent on adequate availability of drinking water and proper sanitation. There is, therefore,a direct relationship between water,sanitation and health. Consumption of unsafe drinking water, improper disposal of human excreta, improper environmental sanitation and lack of personal and food hygiene have been major causes of many diseases in developing countries. India is no exception to this. Prevailing High Infant Mortality Rate is also largely attributed to poor sanitation. It was in this context that the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) was launched in 1986 primarily with the objective of improving the quality of life of the rural people and also to provide privacy and dignity to women. The concept of sanitation was earlier limited to disposal of humanexcreta by cess pools, open ditches,pit latrines, bucket system etc. Today it connotes a comprehensive concept, which includes liquid and solid waste disposal, food hygiene, personal, domestic as well as environmental hygiene. Proper sanitation is important not only from the general health point of view but it has a vital role to play in our individual and social life too. Sanitation is one of the basic determinants of quality of life and Human Development Index. Good sanitary practices prevent contamination of water and soil and thereby prevent diseases. We will write a custom essay sample on Total Sanitation Programme in India specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Total Sanitation Programme in India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Total Sanitation Programme in India specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The concept of sanitation was, therefore, expanded to include personal hygiene, home sanitation, safe water, garbage disposal, excreta disposal and waste water disposal. A comprehensive Baseline Survey on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices in rural water supply and sanitation was conducted during 1996-97 under the aegis of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, which showed that 55% of those with private latrines were self-motivated. Only 2% of the respondents claimed the existence of subsidy as the major motivating factor, while 54% claimed to ave gone in for sanitary latrines due to convenience and privacy. The study also showed that 51% of the respondents were willing to spend upto Rs. 1000/- to acquire sanitary toilets. Keeping in view the above facts, the CRSP was improved. In the new format, CRSP moves towards a â€Å"demand driven† approach. The revised approach in the programme titled â€Å"Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC)†emphasizes more on Information, Edu cation and Communication (IEC), Human Resource Development, Capacity Development activities to increase awareness among the rural people and generation of demand for sanitary facilities. This will also enhance people’s capacity to choose appropriate options through alternate delivery mechanisms as per their economic condition. The Programme is being implemented with focus on community-led and people centered initiatives. Children play an effective role in absorbing and popularising new q+`ideas and concepts. This Programme, therefore, intends to tap their potential as the most persuasive advocates of good sanitation practices in their own households and in schools. The aim is also to provide separate urinals/toilets for boys and girls in all the schools/ Anganwadis in rural areas in the country. OBJECTIVES The main objectives of the TSC are as under: †¢ Bring about an improvement in the general quality of life in the rural areas. †¢ Accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas. †¢ Generate felt demand for sanitation facilities through awareness creation and health education. †¢ Cover schools/ Anganwadis in rural areas with sanitation facilities and promote hygiene education and sanitary habits among students. Encourage cost effective and appropriate technologies in sanitation. †¢ Eliminate open defecation to minimize risk of contamination of drinking water sources and food. †¢ Convert dry latrines to pour flush latrines, and eliminate manual scavenging practice, wherever in existence in rural areas. STRATEGY The strategy is to make the Programme ‘community led’ and ‘people centered’. A â €Å"demand driven approach† is to be adopted with increased emphasis on awareness creation and demand generation for sanitary facilities in houses, schools and for cleaner environment. Alternate delivery mechanisms would be adopted to meet the community needs. Subsidy for individual household latrine units has been replaced by incentive to the poorest of the poor households. Rural School Sanitation is a major component and an entry point for wider acceptance of sanitation by the rural people. Technology improvisations to meet the customer preferences and location specific intensive IEC Campaign involving Panchayati Raj Institutions, Co-operatives, Women Groups, Self Help Groups, NGOs etc. are also important components of the Strategy. The strategy addresses all sections of rural population to bring about the relevant behavioural changes for improved sanitation and hygiene practices and meet their sanitary hardware requirements in an affordable and accessible manner by offering a wide range of technological choices. IMPLEMENTATION Implementation of TSC is proposed on a project mode. A project proposal emanates from a district, is scrutinized by the State Government and transmitted to the Government of India (Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development). TSC is implemented in phases with startup activities. Funds are made available for preliminary IEC work. The physical implementation gets oriented towards satisfying the feltneeds,wherein individual households choose from a menu of options for their household latrines. The builtin flexibility in the menu of options gives the poor and the disadvantaged families’ opportunity for subsequent upgradation depending upon their requirements and financial position. In the â€Å"campaign approach†, while a synergistic interaction between the Government agencies and other stakeholders, intensive IEC and advocacy, with participation of NGOs/Panchayati Raj Institutions/resource organizations, take place to bring about the desired behavioural changes for relevant sanitation practices, provision of alternate delivery system, proper technical specifications, designs and quality of installations are also provided to effectively fulfill the generated