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Ground lessons

International delegates share their experiences of water and sanitation projects in rural India

Thirty-five delegates from nine countries travelled to various parts of India to learn about water and sanitation programmes in rural India. They shared their experiences recently at Hotel Ashok. Lizette Burgers, Chief, Water and Environmental Sanitation, UNICEF, India, chaired the meet, which was an opportunity for the delegates to share their 11-day field experiences.

Awatif, a delegate from Sudan who travelled to Karnataka, said she was impressed by the commitment of the government, especially at the block level. She found a good synergy between waste management and education. She felt the difference in sanitation between her country and India is that in Indian villages they know that faeces are not waste.

"In Eritrea people have the will," said Mathew Binyiri, adding, "but not the resources."

In India he found a different picture. Having travelled to West Bengal and Maharashtra, he was impressed at the broad based support from the government, NGOs and communities, in regard to sanitation.

But he also clarified that the delegates had travelled to areas that had 100 per cent coverage, and he now wished to travel to the areas that are not covered.

Burgers of UNICEF elaborated that while every state has had a different experience, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have been especially successful. In Jharkhand and Karnataka they've successfully integrated water and sanitation into the school curriculum. She asserted, "All credit goes to the teachers. UNICEF can only support them, where teachers take it up we can see a difference."

Sanitation campaign

She was full of appreciation for the Nirmal Gram Puruskar.

It is a prize-money award given to panchayats under The Total Sanitation Campaign to promote hygiene and sanitation. The prize is given to villages that have proper hygiene practices, from washing hands to proper disposal of waste.

She said that an important shift was taking place: Sanitation is becoming demand-driven rather than infrastructure- or subsidy-driven. This is important, as people should demand the right to water and sanitation.

Asked if India can learn lessons from China, she quickly replied "China has a very disciplined approach," explaining, "They have had a good experience in ecological sanitation."

While the term "water wars" might be rather apocalyptic, Burgers agreed, "There is tension around water.

That's why it's important to get wider management. We have to give access, we have to solve the rural-urban divide."

NANDINI NAIR

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