The Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation

Thematic Session Title: Sanitation for Dignity

Chairs:
Ms.Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, India; Ms
Rashida Choudhury, Advisor, Government of Bangladesh and Ms Shanta Sheela Nair,
Secretary, Department of Rural water Supply, Government of India
Co-Chair:

Ms.Barbara Frost, Chief Executive, WaterAid, UK

Rapporteurs: Dr.Indira Khurana (WaterAid) India and Mr.R.Murali, FANSA India

Presenters:
Dr.Bindeshwar Pathak (Sulabh International) India: Sulabh Sanitation System for
Sustainable Socio-Economic and Environment Improvement

Ms.P.Amudha, District Collector, Dharmapuri, Govt. of Tamilnadu, India

Menstrual Hygiene Management Initiatives

Ms.Maeve Hall & Mr.Shah Riazur Rahman, Bangladesh

Inclusive Sanitation Breaking down barriers.

Mr.Namaste Lal Shreshtha & Ms.Shova Adhikari, UNICEF Nepal

A successful model to promote school and community sanitation & hygiene situation in
Nepal
Dr.Jos Chathukulam & Dr.K.Gireesan, CRM (India)
Total Sanitation Campaign and Nirmal Gram Puraskar an overview of 4 Indian States
Ms.Parveen Rahman
The Orangi Pilot Project, issues and Institutions

Key statements and conclusion of the session:

1. Sanitation is necessary for social empowerment, education and livelihood generation.
2. The category of poor has various sub-categories living in highly diversified social
and cultural context of the region and keeping the same in view, a range of affordable
models of sanitation technologies, particularly toilets need to be developed rather
than imposing rigid conditions of technologies / services.
3. The Sulabh sanitation approach has very well demonstrated that the recycling of
waste from public toilets not only contributes to environmental sanitation but also
results in saving of water, energy and expensive fertilizers.
4. Technologies as well as method of service delivery play equally important role in
determining the dignity of the people engaged in providing sanitation services.
5. Elimination of manual scavenging and providing dignified livelihoods demands high
quality education and alternative skill development and such process should not be in
isolation rather should pave way for integrating these marginalized sections with the
rest of the society. Whatever may be the economic prosperity and the measure of
the growth it is worthless if dignity and health of the people is not ensured.
6. Sulabhs experience of making attractive business from Sanitation inverts the
economic proposition of sanitation and scaling of such models have great potential of
accelerating sanitation progress.
7. The very inclusion of the presentation on menstrual Hygiene Management in the
SACOSAN-III is a clear indicator of progress in the field of Sanitation. Menstrual
hygiene management should be viewed from a holistic perspective covering health,
psychological, social and rights issues.
8. Good menstrual sanitation services mean giving full freedom to women, their
empowerment. Menstrual hygiene management should include awareness promotion
(including parents, men and youth), attitudinal changes, sanitation services including
low cost sanitary napkins and safe disposal of waste.
9. Sanitation must be all-inclusive. Options must be available for people with special
needs such as those with physical disabilities. Inappropriate toilets can be as painful
as Indians squatting for the aged people. User friendly sanitation facilities particularly
for the aged and differently abled population is absolutely essential to achieve the
goal of Total Sanitation. There is no question of sanitation growth being inclusive
without addressing the specific needs of differently abled population.
10. Sanitation is a onetime mission and if one generation is sensitized they will carry it
forward for the future generations. From this perspective school lead Total Sanitation
plays a very promising role in achieving the Sanitation goals.

11. From planning perspective, cross cutting implications of lack of sanitation must be
understood and Sanitation should be located in the integrated framework of public
health, multi sectoral convergence on sanitation should be emphasized and proper
funding must be ensured for sanitation interventions.
12. Incentives in the form of NGP Awards (India) or Kushal Fund (Pakistan) proved to be
very effective in bringing up sanitation as an important political agenda in the local
bodies of governance. Such programmes also generated good social mobilization
and it has also motivated the local bodies to address issues of exclusion with respect
to sanitation progress. Continuing to focus the best accomplished communities as
learning centers for other population helps in checking the slip back phenomenon.
13. Sensitization and involvement of corporate sector, particularly the CSR initiatives can
offer a great deal of support to speedup the sanitation progress.
14. Orangi project of Pakistan proved that the urban poor have great willingness to share
the costs of components / activities of sanitation. Such a cost sharing approach also
proved to be very effective in creating sense of community ownership and the
responsible spending has drastically reduced the cost of creating sanitation
infrastructure.
15. Sanitation champions and communities can be motivated by rewards.
16. Mapping and documentation of the sanitation conditions has empowered the local
communities to plan the sanitation development and also to monitor the sanitation
services. Mapping is important when services to the urban population are provided,
17. The region has a treasure of best practices of sanitation development. The
SACOSAN conferences provide a great opportunity to share and learn from the
same. With an open mind all the actors should recognize, appreciate and endeavor
to scale up these best practices for achieving the Health and Dignity goals of
Sanitation.
Points for the Delhi Declaration
1. All people should have a right to sanitation.
2. Sanitation policy and programme must be all-inclusive. Special efforts,
options and guidelines are needed for inclusive sanitation
3. Gender sensitive sanitation should be provided in schools
4. Menstrual hygiene management should be a part of sanitation
5. Cross-cutting implications of sanitation need to be recognized
6. Sanitation needs to be included in integrated public health policy
7. Scavengers to be freed and rehabilitated from their dehumanizing occupation.