Former Mission Director (SBM-G), Uttar Pradesh
UTTAR PRADESH IS the fourth largest state of India, and the most populous. This means that the state surpasses almost every other state in the country in terms of both scale and complexity of any social challenge. When the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was announced, it was clear that how Uttar Pradesh manages sanitation in its villages and cities would significantly impact our larger national goals. The SBM-Grameen (SBM-G) success story in the state is characterized by strong political will and participation of all stakeholders, right up to the grass-root level.
My experience as SBM Director, Uttar Pradesh, has been enriching, multidimensional and highly satisfying. I got an opportunity to work with a wide range of people, from village champions to experts in the field of sanitation, as well as esteemed seniors who acted as mentors and guided me to implement the mammoth project objectives. It has been a journey of effective leadership of champion district magistrates, chief development officers, district panchayati raj officers and the administrative machinery in general. SBM reflects the power of a community movement, effective project management and efficient monitoring framework at all levels – village, block, district and state. It is a culmination of the efforts of swachhagrahis and volunteers at the village level, talented young professionals at the block level handling behaviour change campaigns, IT-related monitoring/supervision, and district programme managers offering comprehensive ground-level support to the entire administrative machinery all the way till the state Mission level.
How Uttar Pradesh Was Won
Customized training programmes were initiated in each district over and over again with partners and experts in the field such as World Bank, UNICEF, Water Aid and other knowledge partners. Each district had a team of 100 to 300 champions dedicatedly working for the cause.
Compressed Demand
Compressed demand = (Total Families in GP) - (Families with IHHL + Families financially capable of building their own toilet)
Offering a Government incentive to build a toilet was an important part of the ‘triggering’ process. However, a sudden surge in toilet demand could overburden the capacity of the administrative system to process incentive payments within a reasonable timeframe, which would have undermined the effort to mobilize communities and trigger toilet demand. The agility shown by the SBM-G team in Uttar Pradesh, and the ownership and involvement of the people led to the concept of ‘compressed demand’. This process effectively compresses the demand for incentives by motivating people who are financially capable of building their own toilets to surrender their claim to the Government incentive. This way, the incentive was targeted only towards those who truly needed it.
It was a gruelling task, requiring detailed surveys, perseverance and negotiation skills. The initial lists were verified twice: first cross-checked with the national Ministry’s database, then sent back to the communities to ensure that nobody in genuine need had been left out. The final list was formally approved by the village panchayat and subsequently by the District Sanitation Committee, who is responsible for the programme implementation. The end result was a renewed eligibility list, ranging from a compressed demand of 20 per cent in relatively poorer districts to as high as 40 per cent in the relatively prosperous districts.
| Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Played a key role in implementing the Mission effectively by involving and empowering people in the community. | |
| Nigrani Samiti: 30-member teams (10 children, 10 women, 10 men) from each village who were asked to do regular morning and evening follow-ups at places where people usually went to defecate in the open. They were empowered by giving a proper vigilance tool kit that has a whistle, torch, cap and jacket. | Swachhagrahi: The leader of the Nigrani Samiti is trained in CLTS and shoulders the responsibility of making their village ODF. Their progress was reviewed at block and district level through ODF war rooms. They were also awarded monetary incentives when the village is declared ODF and after six months of ODF sustenance. |
Building Capacities
The Mission was focussed on bring about behaviour change within the community towards open defecation prior to construction of toilets. This required large-scale training and capacity-building initiatives for a host of field functionaries. Examples of these trainings are:
Changing Behaviours
Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities and campaigns like painting, film-making, essay-writing competitions, wall painting on toilets and public infrastructure, LED screen on sanitation van, etc. helped create a lasting impact on the community. These also promoted a sense of competition among villages.
Swachh Kumbh 2019, Prayagraj
In 2018, I handed over the reins to a new Mission Director and took over as Mela Magistrate to prepare for the Kumbh Mela 2019, the largest religious congregation the world has ever seen.
An estimated 24 crore people visited the Mela in the seven weeks from 15 January to 4 March 2019. The Mela provided a unique as well as challenging landscape for demonstrating the national commitment towards sanitation and public health. The theme ‘Swachh Kumbh, Surakshit Kumbh’ (Clean Kumbh, Secure Kumbh) was perfectly aligned with the vision of the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission, focusing upon efficient solid waste management, sanitation and sewage management.
As Mela Magistrate, chalking out the strategy for Swachh Kumbh 2019 was an enormous task for me, which began over a year prior to the mega event. Even the most conservative estimates indicated that a mindboggling amount of waste would have to be handled. Needless to say, sanitation and waste management received top priority in Kumbh 2019. Equipped with support from the state government, the lessons learnt from past Melas and the findings from the pilot interventions tested during Magh Mela 2018, we committed ourselves towards achieving our targets – ‘Clean Ganga and Clean Mela’, ‘Open Defecation Free (ODF) Mela’ and odour-free Mela.
For Kumbh 2019, over 1 lakh toilets, with eco-sensitive containment provisions, were strategically located all across the Mela area – covering the akharas, tent city, administrative offices, vending zones, identified open defecation (OD) spots, and heavy footfall–prone locations like bus stands, parking lots and all major approach roads in the city. Adequate number of cesspool vehicles were hired to empty the septic tanks provided with all those toilets which were located within 200 metres from the river bank. Additionally, scientific odour management measures enabled us to achieve clean and odour-free surroundings.
Minimizing litter and garbage on the streets was another major challenge. More than 200 tonnes of trash was generated in the Mela area every day. Over 20,000 trashcans were placed along road sides, ghats, circulating areas, within the camps and all the vending areas. All efforts were made to ensure that no visitor had to walk more than 25 metres to find a disposal bin. Further, 120 tippers (6 in each of the 20 sectors) and 40 compactors were operated 24×7 to collect and transport the waste to the treatment plant. Adoption of modern practices for toilet cleaning and garbage handling ensured zero contact of garbage with human hands.
A Swachhata Sena comprising more than 10,000 sanitation workers and 1,500 village-level sanitation volunteers – swachhagrahis – was deployed to monitor the cleanliness through Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-based hand-held devices. Health, safety and overall well-being of the sanitation workers was paramount for orchestrating the sanitation efforts for Kumbh Mela 2019. Along with the accommodation, anganwadi centres and adequate and nutritious food, gloves, raincoats and masks were provided to each sanitation worker. In addition, all the sanitation workers and volunteers were trained and sensitized through a series of interactive workshops and training programmes.
Along with this, the Mela also provided extraordinary opportunities to build awareness of the role that clean water, sanitation and hygiene play in supporting human health and improving prospects for a better life. This message resonated strongly with the pilgrims, predominantly from rural communities across India. ‘Paint My City’ campaign and messaging through outdoor media and sanitation mascots were instrumental in conveying the significance of healthy living as well as Ganga conservation to all the visitors.
The Mela’s swachhata efforts garnered unprecedented national and international attention on all forms of media, especially social media. The Kumbh Mela of 2019 has shown that no matter how difficult the challenge, the administration’s unwavering commitment to swachhata can meet it. Kumbh 2019 was celebrated as the first ever Swachh Kumbh. It set a ‘swachh’ example for all future Kumbh Melas. I am proud to say that our team converted this challenge into an opportunity to spread the swachhata message far and wide, and ensured convenience to the millions of pilgrims and tourists who attended this largest religious and cultural congregation in the world!