On December 22, 2010, India WASH Forum organised a one day consultation workshop on pro poor urban water and sanitation at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. India WASH Forum is a coalition bringing together interested stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector in the country.
The purpose of the workshop was to situate the status and issues of pro poor urban water and sanitation within the larger initiatives of the City Sanitation Plans (CSPs), and identify the priorities that NGOs could have in the emerging situation for programming or designing other interventions.
The workshop aimed at integrating the learnings from the CSPs, with some basic research that India WASH Forum partners had done in several cities on access to water and sanitation for the urban poor, as well as for the general public in public facilities like markets, bus stations and railway stations.
In this workshop, there were presentations on the status and issues of sanitation in four cities of India, by local representatives from the urban slums of these cities. Experience of working on sanitation issues in urban slums were made by many NGOs. Presentations on City Sanitation Plans were made by WSP, GTZ and Shelter Associates.
The keynote address was given by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development. The agenda also included the screening of a film on water supply related issues in Bangalore and a panel discussion involving organisations like Jagori, ActionAid and Arghyam.
The workshop report brings out in great detail the rich set of information and analysis from a cross section of experiences.
The report is organized into six parts -
- Session I - Introductory Session
- Session II - Findings of Research Studies
- Session III - Progress on Development of City Sanitation Plans and Inclusion/Exclusion of the Urban Poor
- Session IV - Research Findings: Case Studies of Status of Public Toilets in Indian Cities
- Session V - Screening of “Water and the City”
- Session VI - Programming for Pro Poor Urban Water and Sanitation: Strategies Adopted by NGOs for WATSAN Interventions and Further Needs
Some of the key points raised in the workshop were –
- In the rapid urbanisation process taking place in the country, the focus tended to be largely on the metropolitan areas and state capitals. However, with the migration of people from rural areas looking for better opportunities, smaller town and district headquarters around the country were also growing rapidly, and the infrastructure was unable to cope. Water and sanitation could not be separated in the Indian lifestyle, and the two issues need to be looked at in an integrated fashion.
- All over the country, the poor were paying more than the rich for water, with issues of equity on the backburner, and the poor largely left to fend for themselves. One reason for the lack of pressure on the government was that those who lived in the better off areas were simply not aware of the pressures that such questions of basic needs posed on the individual in poverty.
- While sanitation was a challenge in rural areas, in the urban areas, where there was such pressure on space, there was no question of privacy at all. Hence, apart from the question of equity, concerns related to gender, health and hygiene, and the environment also made this an issue that was appropriate for the consultation.
- Although much was being done by the government through various programmes, the overall impact was simply insufficient, and this was a matter that needed to be probed further. For instance, a computation of government expenditure on water for various purposes, including irrigation at TERI showed that it was in excess of Rs. 100,000 crores per year. Yet every year, the water crisis was getting worse. Every year more people were drawn to the field with experience and knowledge, but the money being spent was not being converted into any concerted impact.
To read more, download the enclosed report below -