78
K. Khare and S. Jose
the wall; distance to the source of water which should be 0–2.5 min; and most
importantly the volume of pit, number of users, and cleaning frequency—which are
not done within prescribed time. The cleaning interval of pit toilets constructed by
government is four to six years, which again is a strong reason for people slipping
back to open defecation. Similarly, Coffey and Spears (2017) and Coffey et al. (2017)
provide plausible explanations behind people unable to give up the habit in rural
India as being associated with beliefs, values, and norms about purity, pollution,
caste, and untouchability around pit emptying concerns. These beliefs underlie the
concerns of pit emptying once the pit is full, as these have to be emptied manually,
the profession traditionally being the domain of Dalit community. The prevailing
caste biases not only restricts the community access but also usage of the same
by setting societal benchmarks for neighborhoods using smaller pits as a matter of
shame and embarrassment. On the other hand, Geruso and Spears (2014) project how
sanitation is perceived in different religions. For example, Manu Samhita,
3 a Hindu
scripture, requires urine and excreta should be far from home and the cleaning should
be relegated to Dalits, contrary to other religions where open defecation is strictly
prohibited and are provided with detailed instructions for containment. Similarly,
evidences (O’Reilly et al. 2017) from Tamil Nadu suggests how seven separate
interventions had failed due to inter-caste group pressure to not to use latrines due
to fear of groundwater contamination.
Here, inequitable circumstances in access and making use of sanitary arrangements emerge not because of the lack of availability of viable sanitary options but is
severed due to prejudiced behavior.
3.2 Narrow Focus of Communication Strategies
Rural sanitation programs so far have aimed at providing holistic sanitation coverage. The targeted approach toward the cause intends to address the issue as a priority
and demands the identical stance from the stakeholders. However, with the benefit of hindsight, the programs have most often been overdriven. In order to seize
incentives and awards resulting from speedy implementation of the programs, the
government personnel ensure all the development para workers to be redirected to
the new endeavor without taking community in full confidence (Engel and Susilo
2014; Galvin 2015; Mehrotra and Patnaik 2008).
It is often observed that the community engagement techniques involve building
latrines but not maintaining or repairing of latrines in case of damage. It is common
for people to abandon damaged, full pit latrines and return to previous practices. For
instance, evidences from Mozambique, a region prone to frequent heavy rainfall,
slippage is attributed to damage, full pit, flooding and old design, and distance for
3 Manu Samhita or Laws of Manu consists of 2685 verses on topics related to social obligations and
duties of various castes and individuals in different stages of life. For more see Doniger, Wendy.
The laws of Manu. Penguin, UK, 1991, p. xvi.
K. Khare and S. Jose
the wall; distance to the source of water which should be 0–2.5 min; and most
importantly the volume of pit, number of users, and cleaning frequency—which are
not done within prescribed time. The cleaning interval of pit toilets constructed by
government is four to six years, which again is a strong reason for people slipping
back to open defecation. Similarly, Coffey and Spears (2017) and Coffey et al. (2017)
provide plausible explanations behind people unable to give up the habit in rural
India as being associated with beliefs, values, and norms about purity, pollution,
caste, and untouchability around pit emptying concerns. These beliefs underlie the
concerns of pit emptying once the pit is full, as these have to be emptied manually,
the profession traditionally being the domain of Dalit community. The prevailing
caste biases not only restricts the community access but also usage of the same
by setting societal benchmarks for neighborhoods using smaller pits as a matter of
shame and embarrassment. On the other hand, Geruso and Spears (2014) project how
sanitation is perceived in different religions. For example, Manu Samhita,
3 a Hindu
scripture, requires urine and excreta should be far from home and the cleaning should
be relegated to Dalits, contrary to other religions where open defecation is strictly
prohibited and are provided with detailed instructions for containment. Similarly,
evidences (O’Reilly et al. 2017) from Tamil Nadu suggests how seven separate
interventions had failed due to inter-caste group pressure to not to use latrines due
to fear of groundwater contamination.
Here, inequitable circumstances in access and making use of sanitary arrangements emerge not because of the lack of availability of viable sanitary options but is
severed due to prejudiced behavior.
3.2 Narrow Focus of Communication Strategies
Rural sanitation programs so far have aimed at providing holistic sanitation coverage. The targeted approach toward the cause intends to address the issue as a priority
and demands the identical stance from the stakeholders. However, with the benefit of hindsight, the programs have most often been overdriven. In order to seize
incentives and awards resulting from speedy implementation of the programs, the
government personnel ensure all the development para workers to be redirected to
the new endeavor without taking community in full confidence (Engel and Susilo
2014; Galvin 2015; Mehrotra and Patnaik 2008).
It is often observed that the community engagement techniques involve building
latrines but not maintaining or repairing of latrines in case of damage. It is common
for people to abandon damaged, full pit latrines and return to previous practices. For
instance, evidences from Mozambique, a region prone to frequent heavy rainfall,
slippage is attributed to damage, full pit, flooding and old design, and distance for
3 Manu Samhita or Laws of Manu consists of 2685 verses on topics related to social obligations and
duties of various castes and individuals in different stages of life. For more see Doniger, Wendy.
The laws of Manu. Penguin, UK, 1991, p. xvi.