Urban Sanitation

Featured Articles
October 15, 2022 Synthesis of water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) spatial pattern in rural India: an integrated interpretation of WaSH practices
People in rural areas lack potable water, and use unsafe sanitation and hygiene facilities (Image: Sebastian Dahl)
July 7, 2022 PMAY needs policy commitment to rehabilitate slums in small and medium cities of Gujarat
Need for legal framework for land rights in small and medium cities of Gujarat under PMAY (Image: Homes in the City)
December 2, 2021 Public toilets and choice of work for women
Separation between women and men’s toilets (Image: Rajesh Pamnani; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
July 6, 2021 If trends persist, billions will be left without critical, life-saving WASH services, says a SDG monitoring report

Between 2016 and 2020, the global population with safely managed drinking water at home increased from 70% to 74% (Image: Pxhere)
April 13, 2021 There is a need for long term sustained engagement of the skilled workforce for water and sanitation
Swachhagrahis are the motivators for bringing about behaviour change concerning key sanitation practices in rural India. (Image: SBM)
December 28, 2020 The pandemic has exacerbated the issues of exclusion and vulnerability of sanitation workers.
Despite the risks and the dire conditions of their work, sanitation workers continued to do their job (Image: C S Sharada Prasad, India Water Portal)
India gets its first wetland conservation centre
Policy matters this week Posted on 17 Feb, 2021 11:35 AM

Country’s first wetland conservation centre set up on World Wetland Day

Deepor beel, Assam (Image Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Sanitation workers amid the pandemic
The pandemic has exacerbated the issues of exclusion and vulnerability of sanitation workers. Posted on 28 Dec, 2020 01:51 PM

Sanitation workers are out in full force tasked with disinfecting the public spaces as COVID-19 crisis continues to impact the country on top of other serious challenges faced by our WASH sector.

Despite the risks and the dire conditions of their work, sanitation workers continued to do their job (Image: C S Sharada Prasad, India Water Portal)
Land and environmental approvals needed for faecal sludge treatment facilities
There is an urgent need for specific guidelines and rules for the selection of sites for setting up faecal sludge treatment facilities. Posted on 23 Dec, 2020 04:02 PM

Despite an enabling framework for implementation of Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) initiatives, there exists a vacuum concerning specific guidelines/rules for the selection of sites for setting up of Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs).

The site for the FSTP should be able to accommodate pres­ent and anticipated future requirements. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Getting communities engaged in faecal sludge management
Community engagement structures, espe­cially at the slum and ward level, can take on roles with adequate capacity building and training inputs. Posted on 22 Dec, 2020 05:05 PM

Gyanchand Mishra, Councillor of Ward 3, is the President of the Ward Sanitation Committee (WSC) and is also a member of the City Sanitation Task Force (CSTF).

Community engagement structures at the slum level have ensured that the most mar­ginalized and vulnerable sections of a city, that is, the slum communities now have a voice. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Strengthening institutional arrangements for faecal sludge management
Project Nirmal created sub-city level (slum and ward) engagement structures to enable meaningful participation of all house­holds, in the planning and management of sanitation service delivery. Posted on 20 Dec, 2020 06:09 PM

Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) has close linkages with a variety of development themes such as environment, health and human rights.

An assessment at the beginning of Project Nirmal indicated the absence of institutional mechanisms for effec­tive coordination and collaboration among the various government departments across state, district and local levels (Image: SuSanA Secretariat)
Putting faecal sludge management on track
The cost and revenue projections for both on-demand and scheduled desludging scenarios were elaborated upon in the faecal sludge management plan for Dhen­kanal Municipality. Posted on 20 Dec, 2020 12:44 PM

To fully leverage the health, well-being and environmental benefits of improved sani­tation access provision of safe, economical and sustainable emptying, transportation and treat­ment facilities for faecal waste become impera­tive.

Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant at Dhenkanal, Odisha
Faecal sludge management policy environment for small towns: Taking a wider view
Project Nirmal helped Odisha to become a front runner among states with a comprehensive policy framework on faecal sludge management. Posted on 18 Dec, 2020 10:47 AM

Considering the overarching depen­dence on onsite sanitation systems, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), GoI launched the “National Policy on Faecal Sludge and Septage Management” in February 2017.

Odisha is trying to fa­cilitate adoption of FSM by Urban Local Bodies so that sewage, septage/ faecal sludge, and liquid waste is safely managed, treated, and dis­posed. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Embracing planning for faecal sludge management: The tale of two towns
How to plan for and implement FSM related initiatives in small towns? Posted on 12 Dec, 2020 10:51 AM

Under Project Nirmal, a detailed planning process was undertaken for designing Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) interventions in Angul and Dhenkanal Municipalities based on the existing sanitation situation in the towns, the techno-economic feasibility as well as cap

Project Nirmal demonstrates appropriate, low-cost, decentralized, inclusive and sustainable sanitation service delivery solutions for two small towns (Angul and Dhenkanal) in Odisha. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Let's talk sanitation! Kakkaman is here, this WTD2020
“If you don’t manage your shit, it will come back to your plate”. Have you ever wondered about this? In the absence of proper sanitation this could very well become the reality!
Posted on 19 Nov, 2020 09:55 AM

The COVID-19 pandemic has made us realise the importance of going beyond cleanliness to achieve total sanitation.

Launch of Kakkaman in Tamil Nadu
A sanitation veteran leads from the front
Gyanchand Mishra has leveraged help from the urban local body and the Project Nirmal team to improve the city's sanitation chain. Posted on 11 Nov, 2020 04:00 PM

Gyanchand Mishra is 65, the veteran of many a sanitation campaign that, he says, has ended successfully. Mixing politics and activism, his long association with sanitation resulted in Dhenkanal’s first ODF Ward-3.

As a result of Gyanchand Mishra's efforts, Ward 3 of Dhenkanal became ODF in a matter of a month
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