A

Vol 6 No 1 July - Nov 2003

a newsletter onrural water and

sanitation in India

Water and Sanitation Program-South Asia (WSP-SA) to provide along-term solution to the problem.

The process to develop anappropriate framework throughwhich a fluoride mitigation strategycan be operationalized was initiatedby the GoM in mid-November 2002through a request for support. Inresponse, WSP-SA commissioneda preliminary mission in Yavatmal, amajor fluoride-affected district inthe state, in mid-February 2003.Building on the findings of the

report, a concept note forthe development of a fluoridemitigation strategy in Maharashtrawas formulated.

Based on a situationalassessment of three other fluoride-affected districts – Nagpur,Chandrapur and Nanded – in April2003, a review of common issueswas presented in a discussionpaper on ‘Water quality inMaharashtra: Situation analysis andrecommendations’ along witha set of recommendations.

Approximately 66 million people in India are at risk of fluorosis.

A strategy for fluoride mitigationin rural drinking water systemsA case study of Maharashtra

INNOVATIVE INITIATIVE

According to Governmentestimates, approximately 66 millionpeople in India are at risk offluorosis (which is more than5 percent of the total population).Maharashtra is one of 16 statesin India where excess fluoride indrinking water and associatedfluorosis are known to be endemic.Although the situation is notcritical, the Government ofMaharashtra (GoM) is developing astrategy for fluoride mitigation forthe state in collaboration with

COURTESY:UNICEF

PHOTO

LIBRARY(INDIA)

A consultative workshop ofstakeholders held in Nagpur onAugust 19-20, 2003 debated thediscussion paper at length. Thisinitiative received the supportof the State Water Supply andSanitation Minister.

Inputs from participants suggestthat a strategy for improvement ofdrinking water quality and safetymanagement should necessarily bemainstreamed within the setting ofthe rural drinking water system ofthe entire state, from the grampanchayat to the district andstate level. Indeed, the existinginstitutions provide theframework for operationalizingsuch an exercise. Theeffectiveness of this approach willbe ensured by inter-departmentalchecks and the transfer of fundsacross departments.

The approach will be driven bytwo crucial aspects: integration ofwater and health-related issues;and the effective linkage betweensurveillance and mitigationmeasures. Both aspects needto be operationalized at eachlevel – that is, the gram panchayat,district and state level. A StrategyPaper detailing the overallframework is being developed.Requirements for amendments tolegislation, a capacity-buildingplan and training modules,computerized MIS, IEC campaigns,R&D inputs required and abusiness plan with up-front andrecurrent costs will also beincluded. Once the broad principlesare endorsed by the GoM, aProject Implementation Plan (PIP)would be formulated which willfocus on aspects critical to settingup a fluoride mitigation system.The PIP would then beoperationalized in four pilotdistricts by June 2004.

Clearly, a strategy for mitigatingfluoride cannot be considered inisolation from overall issues ofwater quality management.While the primary objective

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About the workshop

‘Rural Water Quality in Maharashtra,’ Nagpur, Aug 19-20, 2003

The objective of the workshop was to formulate a responsive andappropriate strategy for fluoride mitigation based on the feedbackof stakeholders and policy makers.

About 70 participants attended the workshop, including stateand district officials from the Public Health and the Water Supplyand Sanitation Departments, and representatives from UNICEFand the private sector.

Technical and institutional aspects were deliberated with regard totheir impact on health, and the need for water quality management,based on a collaborative multi-agency approach was stressed.

Four main themes were discussed: institutional arrangements,capacity gaps, water quality monitoring systems, and researchand development.

A detailed strategy for fluoride mitigation is under preparationbased on the workshop recommendations.

of the strategy would be toaddress the issue of fluoride, thiswould also require a reorientationin the philosophy of provision ofrural water supply services so thatthe institutions delivering ruraldrinking water become more

responsive and sensitive toissues of water quality and theassociated health effects.

For further information, contact:

Water and Sanitation Program-South Asia55 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110 003wspsa@worldbank.org

SANISAT

Handpumps and wells are a commonsource of drinking water for most Indians.Out of 36% with access to tap wateronly 17% have it in their premises

Sources of Drinking Water in India

Others 9.6%Wells

18.2%

Taps

38.7%

Handpumps

36.7%

SOURCE: CENSUS OF INDIA, 2001. THE TIMES OF INDIA (DELHI EDITION) NOV 7, 2003

EDITORIAL

JOURNALISTS’ MEETON WATER ANDSANITATION ISSUESIN SOUTH ASIA

Environmental journalistsfrom South Asia cametogether at a workshop onWater and Sanitationfor the Poor in Hyderabad,from June 30-July 2, 2003.The workshop wasorganized by the WaterSupply and SanitationCollaborative Council,Geneva, the Forumof EnvironmentalJournalists of India andthe InfrastructureDevelopmentFinance Company Ltd.

Issues of water quality are becoming increasinglysignificant in the provision of rural drinking watersupply services. In this issue of Jalvaani, we review acomprehensive approach to water quality managementthat is being developed in Maharashtra to mitigate theproblem of fluoride in drinking water in the state. Thestrategy integrates water and health-related issues andcreates effective linkages between surveillance andmitigation measures. This will not require anysignificant change in the way drinking water is deliveredbut will be based on a mix of educationand capacity-building on the software side, andmonitoring and technology on the hardware side,and mainstreamed through existing institutions.

Participatory approaches are essential to ensure thesustainability of community-based programs. For thisit is necessary to involve the community at the variousstages of the project cycle. In Kasargod, Kerala,communities have developed simple tools to monitorand evaluate progress of implementation of schemesthat are accessible to all members of the community.

Borban, Maharashtra provides an example of howcommunity solidarity and the desire to improve thesanitation status of the village have resulted in totalsanitation, and the village has been declared opendefecation-free. The experience of Borban couldinspire other communities to achieve the objectiveof total sanitation.

Looking beyond the region, we examine the modelof private sector financing of rural water systems inVietnam and Cambodia where the rural water supplymarket is successfully served by small enterprises thateither sell water or install water source technologies.Funds are leveraged from a fee-paying consumer base,which frees public finances for investment in othersectors. As the private sector does not have the skillor finances to provide social marketing or healthpromotion to the consumers, this input may be providedby the public sector, which in turn will create anincreased demand for clean water and improvedsanitation facilities.

Grassroots, a Kumaon-based NGO, has demonstratedthe feasibility of an appropriate technology option tomeet the drinking water supply needs in hilly areas bypromoting the construction of infiltration wells. Thesewells are easy to construct and maintain. Over the lastfew years, this technology option has been installed innearly 200 hamlets/villages in seven districts ofUttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh.

Shri Kanshiram Rana, Honorable Union Minister forRural Development, Government of India, shares hisviews on critical issues in the sector, including theGovernment’s strategy for scaling up the reformprocess, capacity-building at the local level, and thefocus areas for improving sanitation.

As always, we welcome suggestions on futureissues of Jalvaani.

Rakesh BehariJoint Secretary and Mission Director

Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water MissionGovernment of India

ETCETRA

ADB Water Week 2004

Organized by Asian Development BankJanuary 26-30, 2004ManilaTheme: Water for the Poor: Setting the Rulesand Finding the MoneyFor details, contact:Ellen Pascua: epascua@adb.org

Water Week 2004

Organized by the World BankFebruary 24-26, 2004Washington, DCTheme: Diving into Implementation

Notice Board

Among the issuesdebated were raising publicawareness on issuesrelated to water, sanitationand hygiene; providingcommunity toilets; wateruse in agriculture; andprivate sector participationin delivering sanitationand water servicesto the poor.

A field visit wasorganized to a watersheddevelopment project inKothapally, a model villagethat has been selected bythe Asian DevelopmentBank for replication inChina, Vietnam, Thailand,and India.

A newsletter jointly produced by:Rajiv Gandhi NationalDrinking Water MissionGovernment of India

RGNDWM

Jalvaani Jal means water and vaani, voice.Earlier issues of Jalvaani are available at www.wsp.org

WSP-SA, 55 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110 003Tel: 2469 0488-9; Fax: 2462 8250;e-mail: wspsa@worldbank.orgRGNDWM, Block 11, 6th Floor, CGO, New Delhi 110 003Tel: 2436 1656, 1950 & 2106; Fax: 2436 4113/4427;e-mail: jstm@water.in.nic.in; ddarwsp@water.in.nic.in

This newsletter aims at communicating key themesand messages on water and sanitation to differentstakeholders in India. It is supported by the UKDepartment for International Development (DFID).

Jalvaani is a forum for theexchange of ideas andexperiences on rural waterand sanitation issues.We welcome yourcontributions on initiativesin this sector. Please sendshort write-ups ofapproximately 300 wordsto these addresses:

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COMMUNITY INITIATIVE

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In Kasargod, north Kerala,beneficiaries of sector reform areactively involved in the monitoringand evaluation of water supplyschemes using tools designed bythe beneficiaries themselves. Thecommunity has been empoweredto assess the progress of schemesusing participatory tools that aresimple, logical and easy to use.

To pilot the approach, workshopswere organized at the district andthe beneficiary group level. Afour-day workshop was conductedby PLA Network, a Kerala-basedNGO, for members of pilot grampanchayats, beneficiary groupsand other stakeholders todevelop innovative assessmentindicators by collectively revisitingthe objectives of the sectorreform project and analyzingongoing activities.

Four aspects of the project arenow being monitored in Kasargod:completion of activities; beneficiarycontribution to the capital cost ofschemes; progress of construction;and O&M of the schemes. Some ofthe tools being used are:

1. Time-line of the history and

activities of beneficiary groups:

Every month beneficiaries recordthe progress of project activitiesusing a time-line, from groupformation to commissioningof the scheme.

2. Bar chart for the contribution

of beneficiaries: Beneficiariesmark their contribution tothe capital cost of the scheme on abar chart. Installment payments arerecorded in different colors. The chartclearly identifies the households withoutstanding payments and theamounts to be realized.

3. Mapping the progress of

construction: The area andactivities covered by the schemeare mapped. Progress (constructionof pump house and overhead tank,laying the main and distribution line,

household connection, etc)is recorded on the map indifferent colors.

4. Monitoring chart on O&M:

Three indicators have beenidentified to monitor theparticipation/level of satisfaction ofindividual beneficiaries in the O&Mof schemes: adequate supply ofgood quality water, timely paymentof O&M charges, and participationof beneficiaries in monthlymeetings. Household responsesto each indicator are marked everymonth on the monitoring chartusing symbols.

These charts are placedwhere people regularly meet,such as the gram panchayat office,so that every community membercan assess the progress ofthe schemes.

These creative tools havehelped users in Kasargod toeffectively monitor the progress ofschemes through a transparentand participative process. Thisprocess has created a sense ofownership of the project withinthe community. Women and theelderly, in particular, findsatisfaction in recording theircontribution on the charts,which has fostered a sense ofachievement even though some ofthem may be illiterate. These toolsare viewed as ‘meters’ ofcommunity participation. Giventhe success of the approach, ithas been decided to scale upparticipatory monitoring andevaluation to all the beneficiarygroups in Kasargod.

For details, contact:

Secretary, Water Resources Department

Govt of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram 695 006

Involving the community inproject monitoring and evaluationPiloting an innovative approach in Kerala

A woman actively participates in

a training session.

A workshop in session.

WSP-SA

WSP-SA

T

STATES

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“Welcome to Borban –A ‘Hagandari Mukt’ Village”Achieving total sanitation through community motivation

Today, as one enters the village ofBorban, in the dusty mountainousregion of Ahmednagar district inMaharashtra, a board at theentrance to the village proudlywelcomes visitors to their‘Hagandari Mukt Gaon’ – oropen defecation-free village.

Till about six months ago,Borban was like any other of thenumerous villages dotting thelandscape of this drought-pronedistrict. As in most villages, thesanitation and hygiene conditionswere far from satisfactory andopen defecation in the villagesurroundings was the norm.However, the picture is now verydifferent as all the villagers areusing toilets that have beenconstructed in each household. Asa result, the village is kept neat andclean and a sense of achievementand confidence has been instilledin the community.

This transformation began withthe village deciding to participate inthe Sant Gadge Baba SanitationCampaign, an inter-villagecompetition of the Governmentof Maharashtra, which rewardsvillages that are judged thecleanest with cash prizes.Members of the village activelytook part in the competition andBorban was ranked second at thedistrict level. However, the practiceof open defecation (one of thecriteria for assessment) hadresulted in the village losingvaluable points.

A meeting at the block leveladdressed by the CEO of theZilla Parishad and attended by theSarpanch of the village, broughthome the need for a total ban onopen defecation in the village and it

was stressed that even one persondefecating in the open could affectthe health of the entire community.

The village resolved to meetthe challenge of ending opendefecation in their village and itwas decided that each householdwould construct a toilet for theiruse. The district administrationassisted the community byexposing them to low-costtechnology toilets so that theycould construct toilets according totheir capacity to pay. However,finances proved to be a stumblingblock – as the crop was yet to beharvested, the villagers had limitedfunds and were unable to buy thematerial required.

The Sarpanch, who hadresources generated from hisonion trade, agreed to standguarantee for persons wanting toaccess the material on credit fromshops in the vicinity. With thisassistance toilets wereconstructed, and within a period ofa few months the entire villagewas made open defecation-free.Shopkeepers were paid after the

harvest season. In some cases, ifthe household was unable to meetthe full cost of the toilet,they were subsidized by thebetter-off households.

What were the reasons for thephenomenal success of thesanitation initiative in Borban?The lack of any prescriptivetechnologies, apart from theminimum safety standards to befollowed, led to different types oftoilets being constructed of varyingcosts. The collective action of thevillagers to make Borban an opendefecation-free village has beencrucial for transformation. In factthe village now imposes a fine onthose defecating in the open.Based on the Borban experience,community solidarity and thedesire to improve the sanitationstatus of the village could becomea model for total sanitation forthe entire district.

For further information, contact:

Chief Executive Officer

Ahmednagar Zilla Parishad

Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Tel: 0241-2355219

Achieving total sanitation has given the community a sense of pride.

WSP-SA

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INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

6

structure and ability to providecheaper, more localized servicesthan government suppliers, theprivate sector can provide a viablealternative to public investment.

Case studies of private sectorfinancing in Cambodia and Vietnamreveal that the most criticalingredient for successful privatesector participation in the RWSsector is government support.Regulation is also recommendedbut an effective balance should bemaintained between protectingthe user/investment and over-regulation, which may inhibitprofitability. Pricing controlsneed to be decentralized to attractinvestors to the sector, particularlyin the more challenging marketswhere there are higher costs ofdoing business. However, it isimportant to keep in mind that the

private sector is not socially-drivenbut profit-oriented. Smallenterprises do not have thefinances or the skill to providesocial marketing or healthpromotion to their consumers.Such software will have to beprovided/funded by the publicsector, which will help promoteimproved health and hygienebehavior and in turn result in anincreased demand for cleanwater and improved sanitationfacilities. The government canfuel demand, and in parallel,support the private sectorproviders with technicalbackstopping to meet thedemand as it emerges.

A detailed report is available at:

Water and Sanitation

Program-East Asia and the Pacific

wspeap@worldbank.org

Private sector financing ofrural water supply systemsin Cambodia and VietnamA major challenge in scaling uprural water supply (RWS) servicedelivery in developing countries isfinancial constraint. The experienceof Vietnam and Cambodia providesinstructive examples from the fieldwhere the private sector hasprovided up to 100 percent of theinvestment of the cost ofinfrastructure to effectively fill thefinancial gap. It is estimated thatprivate and/or user investment inthe sector far exceeds publicinvestment, allowing publicresources to be directed to areaswhere the private sector may nothave comparative advantages.

The RWS market in Vietnam andCambodia is served by a growingprivate sector made up ofthousands of micro enterprises thatfall into two categories: technologysupply enterprises and watersupply enterprises. Technologysupply enterprises are primarilyproduction/supply chains thatmake, distribute, sell and installwater access equipment, storageand purification technologies thatenable purchasers to access water.Water supply enterprises sell water,and range from informal enterprisesthat collect and transport water andsell it door-to-door to piped waterschemes that recover costs basedon installed water readings. Thenature and size of the private sectorintervention and the services itprovides are tailored to localconditions, including water resourceavailability, population density,consumer income, user need andpreference, and extent of regulation.This strategy has helped to cater tothe diverse and growing volume ofwater needs and user preferences.With its customer-oriented Solutions for rural water supply are based on local conditions.

DAN

SALTER

INDIA MARK II

HANDPUMP

PLATFORM

DRAIN

COLUMN

CASING PIPE

COMPACTED

BACK FILTER

SAND FILTER

INFILTRATION

WELL

PISTON AND

CYLINDER

ROUND

BLOCKS

EXCAVATION

SEEPAGE

RISE 2

STANDARD INFILTRATION WELL

WITH INDIA MARK II HANDPUMPM

7

Infiltration wells in the hillsAn appropriate technology option for

community-managed drinking water systems

are used to form acolumn around thecasting pipe, which isinserted through ahole in the capsection. Sandbackfilling continues tillthe cap is covered to adepth of 30 cm, afterwhich the excavatedmaterial is used.

A block column isbuilt to reach thedesired elevation atwhich the feet of thehandpump will beset. A platform isconstructed, usuallywith the pump at thecenter. The pumpdischarge facesdownhill so that itdoes not seep backinto the infiltrationwell. The wells arecapped and fitted with ahandpump, which preventspollution. The construction ofwaterseal toilets is encouraged tobreak the cycle of the spread ofwaterborne disease. Sinceinfiltration wells are basedon primary water resources,user groups are motivated toprotect and conserve theenvironment of the immediatecatchment area, providingsustainability to the source.A major advantage of theseinfiltration wells is that thedrudgery of women collectingwater from distant sources isconsiderably reduced.

Infiltration wells are easy toconstruct, and the operation andmaintenance of handpumps/submersible pumps are within thecapacities of local communities,

albeit with some initial training.User groups have the option torecover a small fee each monthfrom each household to pay forthe operation and maintenance ofthese decentralized water supplysystems. Over the last few years,this appropriate technology optionhas spread to nearly 200 hamlets/villages in seven districts inUttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh.

In order to enable the spread ofthis technology, Grassroots isorganizing artisans guilds inboth these states.

For further details, contact:

Anita Paul, Community Coordinator

Pan Himalayan Grassroots

Development Foundation

Post Bag # 3, Ranikhet 263 645

Almora District, Uttaranchal

Telefax: 05966-221516,

222298, 221654

email: apaul@grassrootsindia.com

Most rural areas in the central andwestern Himalayas suffer an acuteshortage of drinking water. Thetraditional systems of harvestingdrinking water from shallowsub-surface capillaries intonaulas/bauris are unable to meetthe needs of the ever-growingpopulation. Moreover, theenvironmental degradation ofcritical catchment areas hasaffected the sustainabilityof primary water sourcesof communities.

To tackle this problem, thegovernment has been investinglarge funds for the creationof public corporations, which areresponsible for planning,implementing, operating andmaintaining piped water supplysystems in remote villages. Thesewater supply schemes are mainlybased on secondary or tertiarywater sources, which are not withinthe jurisdiction of the concernedvillages. As a result, appraisalsreveal that for a variety of reasons,the water crisis in the area isfar from resolved. Grassroots, aKumaon-based NGO, has beendemonstrating the feasibility of anappropriate technology option in thedrinking water sector through theconstruction of infiltration wells.

Infiltration well technology ismerely an extension of thetraditional system; instead ofnaulas/bauris which are only3-6 feet deep, infiltration wellsare located about 25 feet belowground level. This allows additionalquantities of water to be harvested.Curved concrete well blocks madewith a simple well block mould arelaid at the base of the well to form acircle. The annular ring is backfiredwith clean sand and the capsections laid. Cast column blocks

TECHNOLOGY

INTERVIEW

ISSN 1564-6823

Editor: Deepika Ganju � Created by Write Media � Printed at Thomson Press

Reforms in the rural drinkingwater supply and sanitationsector have moved from asector-based approach toSwajaldhara and nowthe introduction of theinnovative Memorandumsof Understanding (MoUs).What motivated the reformprogram originally and howwould you describe thechanges in its agenda?

The Government of India (GOI)introduced the reform initiative inthe rural drinking water supplysector through the sector reformpilot projects in 1999. The keyprinciples of the reforms arethat they should be demandresponsive and community-led,with 10 percent capital cost sharingand 100 percent contribution foroperation and maintenance(O&M) of the scheme.Communities should be allowedthe freedom to fix and levyuser charges.

The objective was to lay thefoundation for a sustainable ruralwater supply system where thelevel of satisfaction of the userswould increase and the investmentmade in the sector sinceIndependence would becomesustainable through the introductionof sound O&M practices.

Based on the experience of67 pilot projects in 26 states,it was decided to extend thebenefits of the reforms to coverthe entire country. Accordingly,the reform initiative has beenscaled up to cover the entirecountry with the launch ofSwajaldhara in December 2002.The comprehensive guidelines onSwajaldhara, issued in June 2003,seek to provide further impetus tothe reform initiative by means of aMoU to be signed by the stategovernments and the GOI.

Ourpriority is

to increasesanitationcoverage

by creatingawareness and

promotinggood hygiene

behavior

Reform requires buildingcapacity on the ground. Whatare the steps that have beentaken in this regard to sustainthese initiatives?

Local level panchayati rajinstitutions (PRIs) have a major roleto play in the implementation ofSwajaldhara. This requires a majorinitiative by both the stategovernments and the GOI forbuilding their capacity and to equipthem to meet the challenges inthe rural drinking water supplyand sanitation sector. The GOI isproposing to assist the states inthis regard by setting up aCommunication and CapacityDevelopment Unit (CCDU)at the state level. A similarset-up is proposed at thedistrict level.

What in your view arethe major focus areas forincreasing sanitation coveragein the country?

It is a matter of great concernthat the coverage of sanitation inthe country is only up to 28percent. Our priority is to increasecoverage by creating awareness ofthe need for sanitation andpromoting good hygiene behavior.For this purpose, my Ministry iscurrently implementing the TotalSanitation Campaign (TSC) in 350districts in the country, which willbe extended to the entire countrywithin a period of two years.

In addition, we would like toincrease the involvement of PRIsby giving incentives to PRIs thatare able to eliminate the practiceof open defecation and effectivelypromote sanitation. For thispurpose, we have instituted theNirmal Gram Puraskar. Wewould also like to use the energyand enthusiasm of the over1.5 million self-help groupsin the country to promotesanitation coverage.

Shri Kanshiram Rana

Honorable Union Ministerfor Rural Development,

Government of India

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