Integrated Mens Sanitary Complexes at keelkathirpur Gram Panchayat, Kanchipuram Block

 

INTRODUCTION 

          In Kanchipuram District 14.4 lakhs people are living in Rural areas. The population comprises 8,83,274 men and 8,24,660 women. As per 2013 Baseline Sanitation Survey, out of  4,11,421 households in rural area, 1,96,214 households have been Identified with individual toilets. Under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), for the remaining 2,15,207 households, toilets have been constructed and have since been put into use.

 

The endeavor of the district is on ensuring that no component of sanitation remains unaddressed.  With individual household latrine coverage of 100%, the district has to develop with the support of the community, a mechanism for management of human excreta, for the floating population such as laborers/ tourists/ pilgrims/ daily commuters/ other persons engaged in transportation services, so that the sanitation facilities are available to the affected persons close by. This type of inclusive coverage is also required for ensuring improved sanitation facilities in rural areas resulting in improved life style.

          For the People who do not have enough space to built toilets and to improve the sanitation facilities for rural 632 women integrated women sanitary complexes were built between 2001-2004 in all the village panchayats. These facilities are used by the public in Kancheepuram District.

Integrated Women/Men Sanitary Complex:

Lack of adequate Sanitation for the floating population or community has been the main reason behind continued practice of open defecation. Such a practice not only results in gaps in monitoring safe sanitation systems in the rural areas, but also adversely impacts the health of innocent users of the sanitation facilities. In order to address the need of community sanitation the Integrated Women/Men Sanitary Complex has been commissoned.

          The Integrated Women/Men Sanitary Complex comprising of appropriate number of toilet seats, bathing cubicles, washing platforms, wash basins.etc has been set in such palces where they are easily accessible and acceptable to women/ men/ Landless Families and the members of the floating population.  The Ultimate responsibility for construction and maintenance of IWSC/ IMSC at the village level has been entrusted to the Gram Panchayats, Ordinarily, such complexes has been constructed in the Districts

 

Identification/ Requirement of IWSC/IMSC through extensive use of IEC/IPC/BCC:

            The Distirct/ Block/ Panchayat administration taken responsible for the demand generation regarding construction of Community Sanitary Complexes by focusing on requirement/ existing infrasturcture of sanitation Facilities, availability of some committee/ association for maintaining IWSC/IMSC  through applying 'Information Education Communication'/'Behaviour CHange Communication' (IEC/BCC) tools.

The Extensive use of IEC has been resorted by the District and Block level authoriities for sensitizing the community based organisitaion which could further act as Key communicators and behavior channge agents at the community level. IEC Strategies has been focused on ensuring active participants and capacity building for the SHG`s, Angaanwadi workers, Village health Nurses (VHN).

Design of Integrated Women/Men Sanitary Complex

Before the construction of IWSC/IMSCs carried out the feasibility study where the large scale congregation of people takes place or areas  with no avaialbilty of land for the construction of Individual household latrine has been given preference.

Each IWSC/IMSC has ben designed strictly keeping in view the local requirements and appropriate technology. As faulty designs would further lead to creation of unhygienic atmosphere in and around the complexes leading to open defecation. The Distirct / Block authorities supported the Gram Panchayats in identifying the feasible sites and in designing/ technology as mentioned below;

1.  Community Sanitation Complexes have adequate number of separate latrine seats for males and females with adequate water supply.
2. The IWSC/IMSC has provision for proper ventilation and privacy.
3. The IWSC/IMSC has proper mechanism for disposal of generated solid and liquid waste.
4. The pit for the disposal of solid waste is based on the septic tank technology.
5. The selected Design also has focus on water conversation.

Maintenance of community Sanitary Complexes:

Many a times Community Sanitary Complexes do not find favour with local communities due to insufficient mechanism for their maintenance. In Maintaining the IWSC/IMSC, efforts has been made to adopt the Pay and use model for which special campaigns on IEC/BCC and capacity building organised at all levels. All such ccomplexes equipped with various wall writings with messages regarding propoer useof toilets. At the gram Panchayats level following steps taken for ensuring proper maintenance

1)    Special awareness campaign initiated for ensuing awareness amoung the user groups to create a sense of ownership.

2)    Maintainence of such IWSC/IMSC handed over either to the local bodies (SHG, VPRC etc) or to the establishment's temples, commitees under CSR mode. Incase of unavailability of afore said bodies the panchayat taken at their own level too take up the maintainance of these IWSC. Apart from the above Swachhagrahi who are working in the field of rural sanitation has aslo been engaged for the maintenance.

3)    Where the communuity toilets would be used by the local residents of the panchayat, the Gram sabha by a common resolutions fix a monthly fee for such households.

The maintenance of IWSCS/IMSC by Swachhagrahi has also been focused on

1)Functionality of the community sanitary complex including the septic tanks.

2)    Cleanlines of the toilet chambers drains and surrounding.

3)    Status of the roof, doors and overall Repairs & Maintenance

4)    Role and responsibilities of caretakers/ institution engaged and

5)    Public toilet use pattern by different age and sex of the user

Success Story`s:

Beautification/Gardening of IWSC / IMSC

The Success story of IWSC usage in Keelkathirpur Gram Panchayat, Kanchipuram Block, Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu:

There are 521 households in Nainakaram GP, Kadayanallur Block. As on date 481 households are having Individual house hold latrine and 40 households are not having toilet.  People Completely using this complexes by the village people and for maintainence the village people decided to bring a new ideas for the safe sanitation. So this complex areas have been decorated with small plants on all sites and also with clean aeration facilities. Small plants such as Aloevera, Coconut, Henna, Oleander etc  have been a reared which taking Co2 and released Oxygen. The people who use complex take the leafs of these plants for their use.These plants are watered on a daily basis. In addition, once in 15 days the unwanted plants that group around these plants are removed and the area cleaned.

CONCULSION

Since the Objective of "Thoomai Kanchi" cant be achieved without ensuring complete sanitation coverage in the rural areas, the sanitation facilities for the floating population/ Local community has an equally negative impact on the health of the society but successful models of community sanitation could lead to the sustainable ODF environment in the Kancheepuram District.

 

 

  *****************************************************************************