Establishment and Management of Community Sanitary Complexes in Rural Areas : A Handbook

Indian remains one of the countries
wherein a lot of efforts are still required to eliminate the
practice of open defecation. In rural areas, open defecation
though reduced in scale continues to be a socially and
culturally accepted traditional behavior largely. Low
awareness of the potential health and economic benefits of
better sanitation and hygiene practices, perception of high
costs of having a toilet, the perceived convenience of open
defecation are some of the other bottlenecks towards
achievement of the goal of open defecation free India. Lack
of priority to safe confinement and disposal of human
excreta poses significant health risks manifest in the
sanitation challenge facing the nation today. However, the
Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) launched by Government of
India in 1999 has gone a long way in achieving and
sustaining the status of open defecation free Gram
Panchayats in rural India and ensuring healthy and hygienic
environment. The vigorous efforts made under this Campaign
have helped to achieve rural sanitation coverage to an
estimated 70 per cent as of March 2011. The campaign has
proved to be one of the most effective programs for its
focus on community-led, demand driven approach, making long
term positive impact on the health profiles and quality of
lives of millions of rural people. The campaign has
developed strategic components to ensure full coverage of
sanitation through financial and programmatic support in
software and hardware component of household, school,
anganwadi and community sanitation. The handbook may also be
useful for district and state functionaries involved in the
implementation of the TSC. It may also be of interest to
other professionals and entrepreneurs working in the field
of rural sanitation.