Sanitation for all : still a long way to go : learnings and approaches : compilation for the second South Asian Conference on Sanitation, Pakistan, september 2006

Sanitation programmes in India have traditionally relied heavily on high levels of subsidies for latrine construction. This approach has been criticised for failing to motivate and sustain higher levels of sanitation coverage which also grew very slowly between 1990-2000. The high subsidy approach has now changed with the introduction of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in 1999. The TSC reform principles are demand-driven and community-led. The concept of sanitation, which was previously limited to the disposal of human excreta by cess pools, open ditches, pit latrines, bucket system, has now been expanded to include liquid and solid waste disposal, food hygiene, personal, domestic as well as environmental hygiene. The government of India has reported rapid growth in coverage levels in the last five years as a result of the TSC, which has now been implemented in all but 12 districts of India. When launched, the TSC advocated a shift from a high to low-subsidy regime, greater community involvement, demand responsiveness, and the promotion of a range of
simple and cost effective latrine options. Involvement of PRIs, NGOs, or Self Help Groups (SHGs) and a subsidy sharing arrangement between centre and state govts and beneficiary. [authors abstract]