Decentralised sanctioning of DPR is required to promote rural sanitation

PRIA started an intervention in two districts of Chhattisgarh – Raipur and Ambikapur – to address the issue of rural sanitation through a project enpost_titled ‘Initiating District Wide Approach on Rural Sanitation in Chhattisgarhâ. This project is supported by Water Aid. 40 Gram Panchayats were identified from each district where Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) tool had to be use to promote communityâs demand for sanitary services. The Communication & Capacity Development Unit (CCDU) of Chhattisgarh government has also been supportive in this process. After Training of Trainers, Mass trainings of village level volunteers, rolling out of intense awareness program and conducting several meeting for the preparation of village sanitation programs, experience sharing workshop was organized on 27th March 2015 at Thakur Pyarelal Institute for Panchayat & Rural Development in Raipur. This state level consultation was attended by various stakeholders including the officials of the state governments, district authorities & functionaries, elected representatives of Gram Panchayats, natural leaders from the communities  and representatives of civil society organizations representing, from various parts of the state. In all 46 participants (19 female, 27 male) attended this state level consultation. In the consultation it was highlighted that the project has been able to –

• Develop a pool of 37 persons has been developed at the state level that can provide training on CLTS approach at any point of time to any agency or institution.
• Orient 363 persons (from 81 GPs of 2 blocks) at Gram Panchayat (GP) levels on CLTS and these persons are ready to support their respective GPs,
• 81Village Sanitation Plan (VSPs) have been developed in consultation with the villagers of Raipur and Ambikapur,
• Use Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping to develop the VSPs.
• Develop the Detail Project Report on solid liquid waste management (SLWM) of the Girond GP that comes under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.

Some of the key recommendations that came from this state consultation could be seen as follows –

• There is a need to develop a pool of resource persons, at the Gram Panchayat levels, who can demonstrate the CLTS exercise on a regular basis,
• There is need to conduct CLTS exercises before all the mandatory Gram Sabhas,
• There is a need to develop a resource pool of individuals (5-6 persons), at the block level who can draft a detail project report (DPR) in the Gram Panchayats on the issues related to sanitation (as it is envisaged under SBM),
• State can link it with the skill development and ask the Livelihood Schools to draft such courses that can develop the capacities of community people on preparation of DPR. This will, at a later stage, support the youth to get employment in future,
• Decentralisation in relation to sanctioning of DPRs is very much required and state should take necessary measures in this regard
• DPR of Solid Liquid Waste Management and Village Sanitation Plans should be implemented, on priority basis in the GPs who have sufficient water.
• Land Rights must be given to all the dwellers who are living in forest areas so that they could develop a toilet facility in their houses,
• A booklet should be published to provide all the possible answers to all the questions related to CLTS (FAQs),
• There is a need to ensure water supply in every school of a GP to promote sanitation in schools,
• There is a need to develop a forum on Rural Sanitation in Chhattisgarh that can have different stakeholders in it. This forum can play a supportive role and suggest various measures to the state to achieve the objective of sanitised India.

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