With rapid
urbanization of India, as well as a steadily increasing population, there is a
tremendous pressure on the Indian government to provide safe drinking water and
sanitary services to more than 266 million who are living in towns and cities. The
health conditions that are associated with lack of safe drinking water and sanitation
are reflected in high rates of stunting, malnutrition, and death from
water-borne diseases. Most of the water-borne diseases are
caused by poor sanitation practices, as nearly half of India’s 1.2 billion
people have no toilet at home and 44% of the mothers disposing their children’s
feces in the open. According to The World Bank, 21% of the India’s communicable
diseases are water-borne, and children under the age of 5 are particularly
vulnerable.
The WASH
campaign by the UNICEF is one of the key steps through which interdependent
issues of water, sanitation and hygiene were addressed. Additionally, Swacch
Bharat Mission (Clean India Campaign) was initiated by the USAID and India
jointly on January 13th, 2015 where USAID signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Urban Development to contribute to
realization of India’s vision of availability of clean water and sanitation for
all. The plan includes:
1.
developing monitoring and evaluation framework to support program
implementation
2.
facilitate capacity building
3. develop
communication strategies between different government and private institutions
Additionally,
urban WASH Alliance is being set up that will allow a platform for India’s
public and private sectors to implement and scale innovative water and
sanitation projects and campaigns in India’s major cities in Bangalore, Ahmedabad,
Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. In the Delhi area, USAID and Government
of Delhi are working in underserved areas to provide water and sanitation
infrastructures. The aim is to reach more than 40,000 households in
approximately 60 slums, with setup of 4,000 individual toilets and safe
drinking water for 10,000 households.
Our
organization, Heeals, has been at the forefront of implementing hygiene
programs in underserved communities. It works with schools and underserved
communities to bring about changes in attitude and knowledge towards these
issues, that are often a matter of taboo especially among the females. Further
Heeals helps to bring resources such as soaps, building safe places for
defecation, and working with local authorities in bring clean water in these
communities.
-Payel
Volunteer
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