Gramalaya played an active role in declaring India’s first
slum Kalmandhai as open defecation free (ODF) slum in Tiruchirappalli
City Corporation in theyear 2002 followed by 168 slums as ODF
announced with the support of Trichy City Corporation and donor
agencies. This has resulted in conversion of dry earth latrines
into modern flush out community toilets and eradication of manual
scavenging in the city. In Tiruchirappalli city Corporation, 126
slum Communities are maintaining sanitary complexes under pay
and use system with the support city Corporation. The Corporation
handed over the toilets to women self help groups after new construction
or renovation of the toilet. The Corporation gave the permission
letter to the groups for running the community managed toilet
under pay and use system. The Gramalaya experience proved that
adequate involvement of community and training in maintenance
of public toilets and earning from user charge is a revenue model
for the slum communities with sustainable approach. It also generates
tremendous confidence among women to partake in slum welfare and
day-to-day decision making.
The review of Community managed toilets and bathing complexes
in Tiruchirapalli, six years after the work began, has shown that
achieving clean and healthy slums does not require huge financial
investment. However, what it does require is a city authority
sensitive to the problems faced by slum communities and supportive
of community action, dedication of communities and their support
NGOs. It has been proved that communities can manage their own
toilet units and when they do this, the toilet are much cleaner
than when managed by municipal authorities. There have been cases
where the entire community can be declared open defecation free.
Further, it has shown that managing toilets leads to empowerment
of women with many positive impacts in terms of personal and community
development. This experience shows that after reluctance, committees
do pay for using toilets and bathing and washing facilities and
these services can be provided at affordable costs, even for the
poorest.
Toilets are only a part of the sanitation solution. Sewage,
wastewater and solid waste management must also be tackled by
city authorities and this is the area where they must play a
lead role. Tiruchirapalli shows that community managed toilets
and bathing complexes provide a model that can work at city-level
when supported by city authorities where declaration of 168
slums as open defecation free made possible.
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