Handling sanitation
SHASHANK MOHAN
I AM a total fan of those swanky, ubiquitous red brick compounds "just around the corner" in Delhi. They have changed the way you move in the city and you can see their utility for people from all walks of life. But not even for a moment a thought came across my mind that government should get involved in this project.
Proper sanitation facilities are one of the basic conditions for healthy living and should not be neglected. But this service, like any other social or business service, requires technical expertise, proper planning, constant monitoring and upgrading. Sulabh has got that expertise and technology to run the toilets at sustainable levels. It has even consulting services for those who want to provide similar services.
A facilitating role
We believe that privatisation would help because the government should not be in the business of managing business. Its role should be to facilitate better human living at various levels — economic, social and political. It may be required when there is no market or player to provide a particular service. An example of it is building roads.
That sanitation services can be provided at sustainable levels has been proved by Sulabh. The role of a government should be to facilitate their proliferation and encourage new players who can take up this responsibility. They should simultaneously try to promote health and hygiene education.
And this is exactly what they seem to be doing. I am not sure how many people are aware of this, but there has always been a focus on sanitation by the government. The Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) was launched in 1986 to improve the coverage of rural sanitation facilities. The CRSP was restructured in 1999 and a demand responsive community led Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) was introduced.
"(It) ... emphasises more on Information, Education and Communication (IEC), Human Resource Development, Capacity Development activities to increase awareness among the rural people and generation of demand for sanitary facilities. This will also enhance people's capacity to choose appropriate options through alternative delivery mechanisms as per their economic condition... " I quoted this from New TSC Guidelines posted on the Rural Development Ministry website to give a flavour of government's understanding of the problem.
India is a huge country and there are multitudes of challenges. Sometimes it so happens that the problems and achievements get lost under the debris of political rhetoric. It is extremely important to raise questions and a good question to ask now is how it is faring and thereby judge the effectiveness of TSC's success.
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