Total Sanitation Campaign
Cleanliness is next only to godliness says the adage. Community and household hygiene are essential pre-requisites of healthy living. Most of the gastro-intestinal diseases are caused due to unhygienic living. In Kanyakumari District a major sanitation campaign is presently on with the active involvement of the PRIs and NGOs with Government machinery.
Kanyakumari Districts has been selected by the GOI as one of the pilot districts under Total Sanitation Campaign programme from April 2001. This was based on a proposal submitted by the DRDA, Kanyakumari district. Now as per modified proposal, the Project envisages construction of 97,123 Individual House Hold Latrines, 63 Sanitary Complexes for Women, 372 toilets for School Children and 714 Anganwadi toilets. A major awareness programme is the focal component of the TSC. The total outlay of the project is Rs. 2098.09 lakhs in which the share of the Govt. of India is Rs.866.31 lakhs, the Govt. of Tamil Nadu is 581.10 lakhs and the contribution of the beneficiaries is 650.68 lakhs.
Modalities of Implementation
A District level water and Sanitation committee (WATSAN Committee) has been constituted headed by the District Collector to oversee the over all implementation of the programme.
IEC Activities
In consonance with the revised approach towards sanitation, more emphasis is being given to IEC activities with the twin objectives of awareness creation and demand generation. A massive Cycle Rally was organized with the active involvement of the rural youth groups. Street plays were organized utilizing the services of local artists. Posters, Pamphlets, strikers and handouts were prepared and distributed. Periodic media briefings and press tours were organized for effective outreach.
Operation Strategy
Individual House Hold Latrines
The construction of Individual House Hold Latrines is being carried out involving two PRIs and NGOs, SVVY, CCA, SOSOD & CED.?
As per GOI letter no. W/11013/4/2000(CRSP)/Pt.III dated 29.3.2006, the Government share has fixed unit cost or Rs 2000 with State & Central Govt. Subsidy of Rs. 1200 per IHHL. ?
An incentive of Rs.50 is permitted to the NGOs on the submission of photographs of the newly constructed toilets with members of the household.
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Anganwadi Toilets
Out of the total of 714 Anganwadi Toilets, construction of 340 Anganwadi Toilets have been completed upto 31.03.2006 and further action is being taken for covering the remaining Anganwadi toilets. Beneficiary contribution has also been now removed and the entire cost of Rs 5000/- per toilet is met out from Government shares. ?
School Toilets
School Toilets also receive high priority along with Anganwadi Toilets. Under this programme construction of 372 School Toilets have been completed.
Mobilization of contribution has now been scrapped and the entire unit cost is met by Govt. As against a target of 372 toilets, all school toilets have been taken up and target completed. Now additional school latrines are now being provided as per the requisition of the school concerned and we have proposed to cover more than the target fixed.
Monitoring and Verification
The progress of the programme is closely monitored. A weekly review of the programme is conducted by the Project Officer for District Co-ordinator and all the block co-ordinators. Operational problems in materials management, progress in the distribution of material and completion of works, mobilization of public contribution and other logistical problems are reviewed and solutions offered then are there. ?
Field Inspections are frequently undertaken by the Collector? and Project Officer on the? works taken up under Total Sanitation Campaign on priority. Availability of water is ensured in all the School toilets.
After the IHHLs are constructed, photographs of the latrines with the family members are submitted to DRDA for claiming an incentive of Rs.50/- per latrine by the NGOs. DRDA arranges for verification of the photographs submitted by the NGOs before settling the claim.
Innovations Introduced
1. Involvement of the NGOs in the construction of IHHLs.
2. Utilising the services of the Self Help Groups, Youth clubs, churches and other religious bodies in their respective areas for ensuring maximum outreach.
3. Organisation of mass distribution of Sanitary materials through representatives of local bodies.
4. Utilising the services of NSS and NRC volunteers for the construction of IHHLs where the beneficiaries are too poor to afford a latrine. The volunteers offer free labour for digging of soak pits.
5. Organisation of Block level Meetings of Village Panchayat Presidents and Block Panchayat chairpersons by the Collector covering all the 99 Village Panchayats.
6. Organisation of Press Tour with focus on Sanitation.
7. Organisation of awareness programmes for the Head Masters of schools.
8. Formation of Health and Environment clubs in Schools.
9. Involvement of CCA (Convergent Community Action) for awareness generation among school going children. Further under school sanitation cluster level trainings have been completed and affixing of star states card to the school concerned is now being carried out by the BHESST members.
Achievement so far
The TSC programme was launched in APRIL 2001. After a series of IEC programmes were conducted, hardware activities were taken up in AUGUST 2001. The progress during the initial months was not encouraging. Meanwhile the Collector attended a programme on sanitation in Bangladesh sponsored by Govt. of India, wherein the success of Sanitation Experiment in Bangladesh was studied. The visit came as a shot in the arm. The progress of the programme picked up momentum afterwards. As of now, more than 48,594 IHHLs have been constructed as against a target of 97,123. Under school and Anganwadi toilets, 372 and 340 toilets have been constructed against a target of 372 and 714 respectively.
A major achievement has been the total coverage of 99 village panchayats in 9 Blocks under IHHLs. The Presidents of 29 Village Panchayats were honoured by the Hon'ble President of India by presenting Nirmal Gram Puraskar during 2005-06.? Another landmark achievement is the declaration of Melpuram and Thuckalai blocks as the first fully covered blocks under Total Sanitation Program. The Melpuram Block Panchayat has been awarded Nirmal Gram Puraskar in the year 2004-05. Further proposals have also been sent to Government of India through State Government for Nirmal Gram Puraskar award in the current year in respect of 70 village Panchayats and 8 Block Panchayats. ?