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P. D. Dey
open defecation only in the early morning or late at night. In case of community
or public toilets, they are not comfortable using them, as they are not clean and
lack adequate water. This causes urinary tract infections (UTI), constipation, gastric
problems, to name a few.
Safety: Due to the fear of being assaulted while practicing open defecation, women
face harassment and attacks while accessing community and public toilets. Not
only do these toilets lack adequate water, lighting and ventilation, broken doors
and missing latches are not uncommon in such toilets.
General well-being: All of the above finally leads to negative psychological
effects—stress, anxiety, fear, disgust and low self-esteem.
2 Existing Policy and Programmes on Urban Sanitation
in India
In India, States are responsible for provision of sanitation facilities, i.e. sanitation
is a state subject. However, the National Government plays a key role in providing
direction, guidance and funding through many policies and programmes. The policies and programmes that enable urban sanitation are promoted by a wide range of
ministries including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry
of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Ministry of Health
(MoH), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), etc.
Let us look at two policies that focus on sanitation: The National Urban Sanitation
Policy (NUSP) and the National Fecal Sludge and Septage Management Policy
(NFSSM).
The National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP), formulated in 2008, lays down
the broad enabling environment for urban sanitation. It focuses on behavior change
and education, and envisions to end open-defecation and to provide city-wide sanitation facilities. It further dwells on institutional roles and responsibilities, awareness
generation, technology choices, reaching the undeserved, and most importantly lays
emphasis on incremental and sustained improvements. The development of City Sanitation Plans (CSP) and State Sanitation Strategies are recognized as the two important living documents as tools for implementing its ambitious vision. The NUSP
draws attention to women as a vulnerable group but does not elucidate on the specific sanitation-linked needs of women. Some gender-specific suggestions include
the following:
1. Women should be engaged in the design and management of toilets. It is very
important to involve women at every stage—right from planning, operation and
finally maintenance and upkeep of sanitation facilities.
2. There is a need to raise awareness among stakeholders (including community
members) about women’s needs. Besides women, all other stakeholders should
also be involved.
P. D. Dey
open defecation only in the early morning or late at night. In case of community
or public toilets, they are not comfortable using them, as they are not clean and
lack adequate water. This causes urinary tract infections (UTI), constipation, gastric
problems, to name a few.
Safety: Due to the fear of being assaulted while practicing open defecation, women
face harassment and attacks while accessing community and public toilets. Not
only do these toilets lack adequate water, lighting and ventilation, broken doors
and missing latches are not uncommon in such toilets.
General well-being: All of the above finally leads to negative psychological
effects—stress, anxiety, fear, disgust and low self-esteem.
2 Existing Policy and Programmes on Urban Sanitation
in India
In India, States are responsible for provision of sanitation facilities, i.e. sanitation
is a state subject. However, the National Government plays a key role in providing
direction, guidance and funding through many policies and programmes. The policies and programmes that enable urban sanitation are promoted by a wide range of
ministries including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry
of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Ministry of Health
(MoH), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), etc.
Let us look at two policies that focus on sanitation: The National Urban Sanitation
Policy (NUSP) and the National Fecal Sludge and Septage Management Policy
(NFSSM).
The National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP), formulated in 2008, lays down
the broad enabling environment for urban sanitation. It focuses on behavior change
and education, and envisions to end open-defecation and to provide city-wide sanitation facilities. It further dwells on institutional roles and responsibilities, awareness
generation, technology choices, reaching the undeserved, and most importantly lays
emphasis on incremental and sustained improvements. The development of City Sanitation Plans (CSP) and State Sanitation Strategies are recognized as the two important living documents as tools for implementing its ambitious vision. The NUSP
draws attention to women as a vulnerable group but does not elucidate on the specific sanitation-linked needs of women. Some gender-specific suggestions include
the following:
1. Women should be engaged in the design and management of toilets. It is very
important to involve women at every stage—right from planning, operation and
finally maintenance and upkeep of sanitation facilities.
2. There is a need to raise awareness among stakeholders (including community
members) about women’s needs. Besides women, all other stakeholders should
also be involved.