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TitleVIII plan approach working group report : rural sanitation
Publication TypeMiscellaneous
Year of Publication1989
AuthorsIN, IDepartment
Paginationv, 48 p. : tab.
Date Published1989-04-01
PublisherGovernment of India
Place PublishedNew Delhi, India
Keywordsindia, planning, programmes, rural areas, sanitation
Abstract

Although India will achieve nearly 100% coverage of safe water supply in rural areas by 1990, barely 3% population coverage will be achieved in the rural sanitation sector. To redress this imbalance amd support the improvement of rural health, a Working Group was constituted to formulate an approach to rural sanitation programmes to be carried out under the 8th Five Year Plan. The approach involves: (1) technology and implementation; (2) community participation, health education, and voluntary organizations; (3) administration and finances; and (4) manpower development and training. This document presents the final report of the working group. It discusses the advantages of various technology options, the weakness of current programmes in rural sanitation, a strategy for the successful implementation of the new approach, the availability and requirement of materials and equipment, community involvement and motivation, the role of international agencies, improvements in current administrative arrangements, resource mobilization and self-financing of the programme, manpower development and training, and research and development. A central thrust of the approach is to change people's habits and practices with regard to sanitation and therefore a minimum of 15% of the allocation of funds would be spent on information, education and communication activities to generate a demand for household sanitary latrines. To induce a people's programme of community participation, dialogue with individual families is seen as vital; the role of women in health education is stressed; and health education through audio-visual aids, the importance of personal hygiene, the training of community motivators and house to house motivation must be promoted. The document also includes a summary of recommendations such as the necessity of an integrated approach to sanitation which promotes health education and personal hygiene, the adoption of the two-pit pour flush latrine, the orientation of the programme towards individual household latrines rather than community latrines, and the development of a decentralized delivery system based on commercial motives. Annexes provide specific details of some aspects of the programme.

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