INTEGRATED RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND

ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

MOHAMMAD BAZAR BLOCK, BIRBHUM DISTRICTWEST BENGAL

J

DISCUSSION PAPER

FOR

WORKSHOP ON PROJECT STRATEGIES

OCTOBER 10 - 12, 1990

UBRARY

IN- 'NATIONAL REFERENCE CENTREFC, OOMMUNiTY WATkR SUPPLY ANDSANITATION (IRC)

1

Public Health EngineeringDepartmentGovernment of West BengalNew Secretariat Building1 K.S. Roy RoadCalcutta-700 001

National Drinking Water MissionDepartment of Rural DevelopmentGovernment o< IndiaMinistry of AgricultureKrishi BhavanNew Delhi-110 001 ' ; i

UNDP/World Bank Water &Sanitation ProgramRegional Water & Sanitation Group-South Asia53 Lodi EstateNew Delhi-110 003

*

AUGUST 1990

INTEGRATED RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND ENVIRONMENTALSANITATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT,

MOHAMMED BAZAR BLOCK, BIRBHUM DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL

DISCUSSION

FOR

WORKSHOP O1SI PROJECT STRATEGIES

(October 10-12,1990)

LIBRARY, INTERNAT 10Ci-:

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Public Health Engg.&eptt.Govt. of West BengalHew Secretariat Buildingl.K.S. Roy RoadCalcutta-700 001

Rational Drinking Hater MissionDepartient of Rural DevelopientGoverment of IndiaMinistry of AgricultureKrishi BhauanMen Delhi-110 001

WDP/World Bank Kater, andSanitation ProgranRegional Hater and SanitationGroup-South Asia53 Lodi «stateM Delhi-110 003

August 1990

CONTENTS

SECTION TITLENO. N O"

I Introduction

II Sector Background

- Organisation 3- Sector Coverage 3- Project Area 4- Issues 5•- Area Maps & Table 7 • .

III Objectives 10

IV Components • I

Water Supply 11 J- Environmental Sanitation 15 :

Sanitation 15 ;|Drainage 18 :|Solid Waste Management 19 |

- • Information, Education & ;Communication 19

- Monitoring and Evaluation 23 ^- Institutional Development 24 .;- Community Participation/

Management 25

V Strategies 27 i

VI Activities 32

VII Organization Structure forProject Implementation

- Management 39Role of Different Agencies 40

- Envisaged Structure to 42Facilitate ProjectImplementation

VIII Inputs 4 5

CONTENTS (CONTD.)

SECTIONNO.

TITLE PAGENO. V

IX Action Plan and ImplementationSchedule

Financing Mechanism

46

47

Annexures

1 .

2.

3.

Status of Water Supply Coverage to Rural

Population in Birbhum District on 1.3.90 49

Tentative Project Linkage Organogram 50

PHED Organization Structure 51

(ii)

I. INTRODUCTION

The Government of India (GOI) attaches high priority to theprovision of water supply and sanitation in rural areas to improvehealth and environmental conditions. The launching of the NationalDrinking Water Mission (under the Department of Rural Development)by the GOI in 1986 represented a major step to further strengthenthe Rural Water Supply & Sanitation (RWSS) sector and acceleratethe coverage of population in this sector.

The National Drinking Water Mission is convinced that there is aneed to provide water, environmental sanitation and health andhygiene education concurrently to derive optimal benefits for theconcerned populations. The GOI has requested assistance inimplementing such integrated demonstration projects.

The UNDP/World Bank Regional Water and Sanitation Group - SouthAsia (RWSG-SA) believes that the implementation of well-conceivedand well prepared rural integrated water and sanitation projectsbased on appropriate and innovative approaches to reach the poorwith water and sanitation facilities will result in optimalbenefits to communities. This can best be demonstrated through awell-planned medium-sized rural integrated water and sanitationproject.

In the past, water and sanitation components were conceived of andimplemented as separate components and the emphasis had tended tobe on hardware. This approach has contributed to the healthinterface suffering from considerable underemphasis. Further theelements of awareness and motivation which can contribute tocommunity participation and management were not accorded sufficientimportance. While some integrated water and sanitationpilot/demonstration projects have been implemented in the past,there appears to be no project on a substantial scale which can betaken as a model for replication. It is therefore necessary todemonstrate on a significant scale, the benefits that thecommunities could derive, when an integrated approach to water andsanitation management is adopted and to present a model that issustainable and replicable.

To demonstrate the impact of an integrated approach which includescommunication, water supply, environmental sanitation, drainage,health and hygiene education, and community participation andmanagement and to establish a proven model that is replicable, itis proposed to implement an integrated water and environmentalsanitation demonstration project at the block level. This document

is primarily intended to be a discussion paper which should leadon to a project proposal. The intention of the proposed workshopto be held at the Mohammad Bazar block of Birbhum District, WestBengal from October 10-12, 1990 is to deliberate on the variousissues outlined and strategies proposed in this paper and thenarrive at recommendations which will find place in the projectproposa 1 .

11. SECTOR BACKGROUND

ORGANIZATION

India's present population (1990) is estimated to be approximatelyBOO million living in some 3500 towns and 600,000 villages. Over757. of the population lives in villages. The federal constitutionof India provides for water supply and sanitation as a statesubject. The Central government formulates policy guidelines andprovides technical assistance wherever needed. Although watersupply is a state subject, in the Vllth Five Year Plan, the ruralprogram got a major boost from the centrally sponsored AcceleratedRural Water Supply Program (ARWSP) for which the National DrinkingWater Mission was launched. In 1985, the Rural Drinking WaterSupply Program was delinked from the Ministry of Works and Housingand shifted to the Department of Rural Development under theMinistry of Agriculture so as to integrate it with other ruraldevelopment programs.

At the state level, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED)of the Government of West Bengal (GOWB) has the responsibility forfinancing the entire rural water supply program in the state.Planning and implementation of the piped water schemes and the RigBored Tube Wells (RBTW) is the responsibility of the PHED.Operation and maintenance of the provided facilities is presentlymanaged, for the most part, by the PHED. However, GOWB has alreadytaken a decision to transfer the O&ti responsibility to the localbodies.

The Panchayati Raj institutions (under the Department of Panchayatsand Community Development of GOWB) is responsible for the planning,implementation and O&li of water supply facilities other than thepiped water and RBTW schemes. These include Hand Bored Tube Well(HBTW) schemes and other simple measures such as open wells. ThePanchayati raj has a three tiered structure, viz. Zilla Parishadat the District level, Panchayat Samiti at the Taluka (or Block)level and Gram Panchayat at the village (or group of villages)1evel.

The responsibility for promoting environmental sanitation in therural areas rests solely with the Panchayati Raj institution.

SECTOR COVERAGE

Over the past ten years, the Government of India has madea major investment in rural water supply to provide at least onesafe water source to every village. It is estimated that about 85"/.of all villages in India presently have access to at least one safewater source.

Small programs have been initiated to promote latrine usage amongthe lower income groups in rural areas, but these programs have notbeen very successful due largely to low demand. Less than 3'/. ofthe rural population uses latrines and public sanitation standardsare low.

At the state level, the coverage for both rural water supply(71.367.) and sanitation (almost non-existent) in West Bengal islower than that at the national level.

At the District level, (Birbhum) about 82V. of the rural populationhas been provided with drinking water facilities whereasenvironmental sanitation is almost non-existent.

At the Block level ( rid. Bazar Block), water supply coverage isclose to 80V. though varying between 60"/. to 100*/. in various GramPanchayats in the Block.

Spot sources (HBTW, RBTW) have been used for providing water supplyin all the villages; piped water schemes do not exist.Environmental sanitation facilities in the Block are non-existentexcept for sporadic instances of private facilities.

PROJECT AREA

Mohammadbazar Block of Birbhum District in the State of West Bengalhas been selected as the ar&a, for implementation of this Demonstra-tion project. A map of West Bengal State showing the location ofBirbhum District is depicted in Fig. 1. The location of Mohammad-bazar Block within the Birbhum District is shown in Fig. 2.

Statistical data in respect of the area, population, number ofvillages etc. in Mohammadbazar block, Birbhum District and WestBengal State is given in Table III.l.

Birbhum District has two distinct topographical features. Thewestern part (in which the Mohammadbazar block is located) hashighly undulating topography due to the heavily dissected plateauof Santal Parganas and is drought prone. The eastern part has aNorth-South fertile belt with excellent irrigation facilities.

All the rivers originate from the Chotanagpur Plateau of BiharState and flow eastwards cutting across the western and easternregion of the district. The rivers experience floods in monsoonand dry conditions after the monsoon. The district has a richdeposit of China clay, black stone and coal. At present thestone quarries are mainly situated near Panchami in MohammadbazarBlock.

The main constraint i-inadequate roads netwot

The chief activity in •the chief occupation agpopulation of Schedule;(19.77.) who are educalandless ST families aroperations in the neigt

ISSUES

1. The constraints re•for adequate sersanitation. Tt~installation of reand maintenance.

2. The lack of ansanitation issuesmeaningful coorddevelopment andimplementation a+_levels. This b i f u •separate and dist.at addressing heaiof planning and ir.

3. The need for adecensure safe water

4. The low demand for

5. The low priorityprogrammes, whichlinkages to healt"

6. The adoption ofsustainable and a:

7. Lack of involvemerand implementatieprogrammes. More pthe women in thethese programmes,associated with wr

8. The prevalent attsupply of water if

9. The relatively low emphasis placed on the collection of datarecording users attitudes and habits, as an input into projectstrategies relating to health/hygiene education.

10. The low priority accorded, both conceptually and financially,to information education and communication (IEC) strategiesthat can play a vital role in orienting the user community tobetter management of its water sources as also in terms ofenvironmental sanitation.

11. Shortage of trained personnel both at the state, district andcommunity level who could be used for educational/motivationa1work .

12. The lack of awareness among technical personnel regarding acommunity's perceptions of its own needs and the vital rolethat software (IEC for example) can play in making hardwareacceptable and sustainable.

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8

TABLE I I I.I: STATISTICAL DATA

S.NO DESCRIPTION WEST BENGAL BIRBHUM MD.BAZARSTATE DISTRICT TALUK

1. Total Area B8,752 4,545 313.4(sq-kms)

2. Population ('000)(as per 1981census) 54,580 20,960 92.8

0.0100.0

- Urban ('/-)- Rural (7.)

- DecennialGrowth Rate(1971-B1)

2673

20

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. 50

.36

8.91

16

30.70

.42

- Density " -.Persons/sq.Km 615 461 296

- LiteracyRate (in V.) 40.94 33.69 29.0

- ScheduledCaste (in "/. ) 21.99 29.80 27.42

- ScheduledTribeUn '/. ) 5.63 6.92 19.70

15824

3. No. of VillagesTotaluninhabitated

413,,112088

2,461232

4. No. of Towns 291

III. OBJECTIVES

MAIN OBJECTIVES

1. To develop a delivery system that is effectively utilized,is sustainable and largely replicable.

2. To integrate rural water supply and environmental sanitationstrategies so as to contribute towards improved healthstandards in the project area. This could be vital to theincreased productivity of the concerned communities.

SUB-OBJECTIVES

1. To motivate the community to participate actively in theproject by creating awareness and changing present attitudesto water and environmental sanitation issues.

2. To involve the community and more particularly the women tothe maximum extent possible from the inception of theproject in planning, implementation, operation and main-tenance of facilities in order to help create a sense ofresponsibility and ownership.

3. To sensitize all implementing agencies of the Government,including Panchayats regarding the need for communityinvolvement in order to optimize the utilization andsustainabi1ity of facilities.

4. To strengthen the co-ordination between agencies involvedin service delivery through institutional capacity —bui 1 dingand joint training.

5. To provide/upgrade water supply and environmental sanitationfaci1i ties.

6. To develop additional local implementation capacity in theprivate sector, specifically in construction.

7. To develop a viable financial and cost recovery system.

8. To prepare guidelines for future implementation based ontested and proven approaches to various aspects of thedelivery system.

9. To demonstrate the impact and benefits of an integratedproject approach to water and sanitation issues.

10. To develop a monitoring and evaluation system.

10

IV. COMPONENTS

The main components of the project are briefly discussedhere. More definitive descriptions will result from theproject formulation workshop and the baseline/needsassessment survey.

The components arB as follows:-

(li) Water supply(2) Environmental sanitation(3) Information, Education and Communication(4) Monitoring and Evaluation(5) Institutional Development(6) Community participation/management

WATER SUPPLY

Technology Options

The present coverage of drinking water supply facilities inthe Muhhamad Bazar Block varies between 60'/. to 100"/. in the12 Gram Panchayats. 1007. coverage indicates that theminimum needs as per GOI's guidelines have been met. Thevillages have a mix of open wells and different makes ofhand pumps as sources of drinking water. Various optionsthat could be made available to the communities to provideand upgrade drinking water facilities include the following;

(a) Rehabilitation of the existing open wells.

(b) Construction of new open wells/deepening of existingwel Is

(c) Rehabilitation of existing hand pumps includingplatform and drainage system .

(d) Modification of the existing India Mark II hand pumpsto reduce the frequency of breakdown.

(e) Drilling of new shallow/deep tube wells and fittingthem with village level operation and maintenance(VLOM) ha, id pumps.

(f) Piped water schemes with a high-yield deep tube wellfitted with a submersible pump as source, distributionthrough a pipe network and supply through publicstandposts.

(g) Piped water schemes with surface water source ifavailable, inclusive of associated transmission,treatment, distribution and delivery system consist-ing of both public standposts to institutions such asanganwadi centres, primary schools, secondary schools,gram panchayat centres etc and private connections,where feasible.

The project will make available the most appropriate op-tion/s to the community, considering the following:

(a) Present level of service and satisfaction of minimumneeds.

(b) Per capita water consumption as per National Guide-1ines.

(c) Advice of State/Central Ground Water Board in respectof availability of groundwater of potable quality andadequate yield.

(d) Willingness of the users to take over completedfacilities, operate and maintain these, ensure entireO&M cost recovery and also to share a part of theinvestment costs in the case of piped water schemesas would be decided by the 60WB.

Implementation

The panchayat institutions will be responsible for planning watersupply facilities. While the work related to the rig bored handtubewells and piped water schemes will be executed by the PHED,the construction of Hand bored Tube Wells will be the respon-sibility of the Panchyati institution. All the facilities onceconstructed would be taken over by the Gram Panchayats foroperations, maintenance and service delivery.

Operation and Maintenance ( 0&I1 )

In general, the Gram Panchayat institution will be responsible forthe Q&M of all installed water supply facilities. In the processof setting up Q&M support facilities the following guide lines willbe foil owed :

Open wel 1 s : Maintenance requirements will be limited toproper drainage arrangements around the well and keepingthe surroundings clean, which has to be taken care of bythe community.

12

Handpumps; On construction, all the handpumps would beoperated and maintained by the community. A maintenancestructure which will facilitate community management willbe developed. Various models that are available i.e. SEMsystem in Orissa and TRYSEM in Rajasthan will be carefullyevaluated to design the proposed community-based maintenancesystem. Local skills would be developed to take care ofpreventive maintenance and minor repairs. Backstoppingarrangements to take care of major repairs would be providedat the Block Level.

Piped water scheme: O&M of a piped water scheme is acomplex activity where direct inputs from consumers isdifficult to incorporate . Only in case of the standposts(drainage, theft of taps, wastage of water, general cleanli-ness) will it be possible for the community to provideinputs. The Gram Panchayat will be responsible for the O&Mof the piped water schemes. Local skills would be developedto attend to minor maintenance needed for pumps, pipeleakages etc. With regard to major problems, assistance fromthe Zilla Parshad/PHED would be made available on an agencybasis.

Water quality monitoring; Monitoring the quality of waterfrom all the drinking water sources at regular intervalswould be essential to ensure that only potable water isbeing supplied to the users. The community would be trainedto collect samples at predetermined frequencies and get thewater samples tested through a public health laboratory ofthe Health Dept. of GOWB located within the project area.A Public Health (PH) laboratory would be suitably equippedthrough this project to carry out such analyses and advisethe gram panchayat in respect of corrective actions neededand retesting. Use of field kits for water quality testingwill be promoted.

Financing Mechanism

(a) The program relating to the satisfaction of minimum needsby upgrading/installing open wells and handpumps would befinanced in accordance with the current practices of theGOWB.

(b) In the case of piped water schemes, these will be taken upsubject to the availability of resources with the GOWB andin accordance with the current financing mechanisms of GOWBfor piped water schemes.

(c) If the selected option/s pertain to raising the servicelevel beyond the national guidelines on minimum needs inrespect of per capita supplies then the community would beexpected to share a portion of the investment costs as would

:. ' ' • ' ' ' 1 3 . . • • • ' • . . ' '..

(g) Piped water schemes with surface water source ifavailable, inclusive of associated transmission,treatment, distribution and delivery system consist-ing of both public standposts to institutions such asanganwadi centres, primary schools, secondary schools,gram panchayat centres etc and private connections,where feasible.

The project will make available the most appropriate op-tion/s to the community, considering the following:

(a) Present level of service and satisfaction of minimumneeds.

(b) Per capita water consumption as per National Guide-1ines.

(c) Advice of State/Central Ground Water Board in respectof availability of groundwater of potable quality andadequate yield.

(d) Willingness of the users to take over completedfacilities, operate and maintain these, ensure entireO&M cost recovery and also to share a part of theinvestment costs in the case of piped water schemesas would be decided by the GOWB.

Implementation

The panchayat institutions will be responsible for planning watersupply facilities. While the work related to the rig bored handtubewells and piped water schemes will be executed by the PHED,the construction of Hand bored Tube Wells will be the respon-sibility of the Panchyati institution. All the facilities onceconstructed would be taken over by the Gram Panchayats foroperations, maintenance and service delivery.

Opération and Maintenance(Q&M)

In general, the Gram Panchayat institution will be responsible forthe O&M of all installed water supply facilities. In the processof setting up D&M support facilities the following guide lines willbe foil owed :

Open wel 1 s : Maintenance requirements will be limited toproper drainage arrangements around the well and keepingthe surroundings clean, which has to be taken care of bythe community.

12

(h) Small handouts printed in the regional language would bewidely circulated to educate the community in methods ofoperating and maintaining handpumps. A video film wouldalso be considered in this regard as an effective trainingvehicle. Providing a set of tools required for repairs ofIndia Mark II hand pumps to the Gram Panchayats or self-employed mechanics on a one time basis through the projectresources will be considered. Tools for India Mark IIIpumps/direct action pumps would be provided for eachhandpump and the project would consider providing these tothe communities for all the new handpumps installed throughthe project. The project will undertake the training ofhandpump caretakers and mechanics at the village level.

(i) The need to regularly monitor water quality will beemphasized. A PH laboratory at the block headquarters levelwould be adequately equipped and trained manpower developedto c&rry out water testing and advise the Gram Panchayatson the required corrective actions. Any complex testingrequired would be referred to the All India Institute ofHealth and Public Hygiene, Calcutta. Use of field kits fortesting water quality will be promoted.

(j) in case piped water schemes Are installed, the GramPanchayats will be assisted in recruiting appropriatelytrained personnel for the Ü&M of various components likepumps, pipes and treatment units.

(k) The financing pattern for various technological optionswould be explained in detail to the communities to help themselect appropriate options.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION

Environmental sanitation is as important as the provision of safewater supply. Studies conducted in several countries indicate thatpoor environmental sanitation reduces the impact of safe watersupply. Consequently, to ensure optimal benefits to the concernedcommunity, both environmental sanitation and water supply issuesmust be dealt with, both conceptually and on the ground, as inter—related subjects. The sub-components under 'EnvironmentalSanitation' are sanitation, drainage and solid waste management.

SANITATION

(a) Technology Options

Considering the size of the villages and affordabi1ity, on -site sanitation methods should be best suited to the project

15

Area. The project will make available a number of designs,giving the user the option to select the facility that suitsthe household best according to price and spacerequirements.

A twin-pit pour flush type latrine which has been exten-sively used in various parts of the country could be theideal choice. This type of latrine would include a squatt-ing pan, a trap to provide a water seal set in the concretefloor, connecting drain and two leach pits. After each use,the pan is to be hand flushed by using approximately 2litres of water. Each of the pits should normally getfilled in 3 years time. Once the pit is full it is put outof use and the pipe connected to the second pit. After 2years, the contents of the first pit are removed, which bythen will have become a rich manure. In case of constraintsof costs/space single-pit pour-flush type latrines will beused .

The superstructure of the latrine could be of differentvarieties depending upon the desire and the financialcapability of the owner.

(b) Imp lemen tationThe project will support the establishment of sufficientimplementation capacity at the Village/Block level.It isintended to train 1 or 2 masons in a group of 4-5 villages,in construction of the latrines/latrine components. Thebeneficiaries are expected to provide the entire unskilledlabour component of construction such as digging of pits andassisting the mason. The project will train selected masonsand provision of loans will be considered through ruralbanks/cooperative banks/district industries centers toenable the masons to manufacture and stock latrinecomponents. The mason will serve as a promoter of low-costsan i tation.

(c) Operation & MaintenanceThis will be the responsibility of the user. The minorrepairs, such as damage to the concrete floor or drain,could be got done through the local mason.

(d) Financing MechanismThe cost of constructing a twin pit type latrine inclusiveof an inexpensive variety of superstructure would be aroundRs.2500. The financing mechanism would be finalized inconsultation with the West Bengal Government and may includethe following considerations:

(i) Entire unskilled labour by the user.

(ii) A suitable loan/grant mix coupled with the benefici-

16

aries cash contribution to make up the cost ofmaterial and skilled labour (mason).

(e) Approach(i) The project will encourage individual households

to instal private latrines.

(ii) A promotion and mobilization campaign will beundertaken to create awareness and understandingof the benefits that sanitation provides to thecommuni ty .

(iii) The project would finance the construction ofdemonstration latrines in places such as schools,anganwadis, primary health centers, grampanchayat offices. This is expected to createa demand for individual latrines by raisingawareness in the community regarding hygenicpractices.

(iv) Priority will be given to the construction oflatrines in the households of willing volunteers-from amongst women, social workers, teachers,doctors, nurses etc. whose status as influencers

• would help in the promotion of the householdlatrine. Financing to these units, however, wouldbe similar to the normal financing mechanism thatwould be set up for the construction ofindividual household latrines.

(v) The construction of the household latrine willbe the responsibility of the household head, withadvisory support from the project. Theconstruction will be through the joint effortsof the beneficiary (unskilled labour) and fromlocal masons.

(vi) Implementation will be taken up only on demandfrom the user and will depend on his/herwillingness to provide a cash contribution andthe unskilled labour component.

(vii) The project will encourage the establishment ofthe necessary installation capacity, so as to beable to respond to demand. The local people whocome forward to take up mason's work will beencouraged and provision of loans/seed capitalthrough the District Industrial Centres/ruralbanks/Co-operative banks will be encouraged.

17

(viii) Training programmes for small local contractors,NGOs and masons will be organized to impartknowledge in the siting of latrines, their properconstruction including -fixing of the water seal,precautionary measures to prevent pollution ofground water etc. The UNDP Manual on design,construction and maintenance of this type oflatrine would be translated into the regionallanguage and circulated to the trainees. Hereagain, a training video film could also beconsidered.

(ix)

(x)

A small write-up would be prepared in the locallanguage on maintenance and c^re to be taken inthe day-to-day use of these latrines and printedcopies supplied to the users for their guidance.Keeping in mind the low literacy rates, theemphasis will be more on effective visuals withminimum supporting text.

The strategy for financing mechanisms would beformulated in consultation with the West BengalGovt. to facilitate the sanction of loans to thebeneficiaries through the existing DistrictIndustrial centers/co-operative banks/ruralbanks.

DRAINAGE

The project area is located in the low rain-fall zone. The PublicWorks Department of the GOWB provides culverts and road-side drainsas a part of its road construction program for the diversion ofstorm water. Provision of a full-fledged network of surface drainsfor the disposal of storm water from the entire village areas isnot considered necessary at this stage and is therefore notincluded in the project.

Stagnant pools of water around the wel 1s/handpumps is a commonsight in the villages and are a potential health hazard.Communities will be informed of the dangers of such stagnant waterpools and encouraged to provide proper drainage arrangements andsoak pits around the water supply delivery points. Such

nts would be provided at the new wel ls/handpumps thatbe installed through this project.

arrangementswould

In the case of piped water schemes, drainage arrangements would beprovided around the public standposts. The users taking privateconnections would be advised to dispose of the waste water throughsoak pits or utilize it for kitchen gardens.

The cost of providing drainage and disposal arrangements for the

• • •- " ' ' : • • •' . 1 8 ' •• • ' • . • . . • • • ' . • •

new installations (wells, handpumps, standposts) would be financedthrough the normal program of the GOWB as a part of the water

supply component. The emphasis would be to create awareness amongthe communities in respect of the health hazards of improperdrainage arrangements and the need to eliminatestagnant water pools and muddy surroundings at the water supplydelivery points.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ( SWM )

Considering the general standards of living in the villages in theproject area and the consumption habits, SWM is not expected to bea major issue in the project area. The system of providing garbagebins and making elaborate arrangements for daily collection,transportation and disposal of the solid waste would not be justi-fied in the rural context, due to the very small quantities ofsolid waste generated and the disproportionate costs involved.

Due to the free movement of cattle through the village areas,cattle excreta lies at many places and creates unhygienicconditions. One of the best methods of disposal of this waste isthrough biogas plants which appear to be present in significantnumoers in the project ar&a. The construction of biogas plantsthrough existing mechanisms will be encouraged.

The SWM component is not expected to require any investment onhardware through this project. The emphasis would be on creatingawareness through the IEC component of the project and encouragingthe communities to inculcate good habits of solid waste managementat the individual household level itself, through such methods ascomposting.

3. INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION (IEC)

(i) Status

Based on the observations of a recent (May 22 - June1, 1990) field visit to Mohammed Bazar block and theinformation available the community's attitude to theIEC/community participation with regard to water supply andsanitation issues seemes to be as follows. Community doesnot regard water supply and sanitation (WSS) as a package -only water is considered important and sanitation is notperceived as an issue. While the community is aware,however marginally, that safe water and adequate sanitationare important to their health, this belief is still verytheoretical and not reflected in their hygiene behaviour.

19

The community has not played any significant role in theplanning and implementation of WSS schemes and the conse-quent prevalent attitude is that the handpump beingGovernment property, it is the Government's responsibilityto keep the surroundings clean.

In terms of structures that could help in implementing IECstrategies and sensitizing the community as well as theimplementing officials, there seems to be very littleevidence of either their presence or any on-going effortsto create such linking devices. For example, the PublicHealth Engineering Department (PHED), Government of WestBengal tends to concern itself with the technical/ engi-neering aspects of WSS, with not enough attention being paidto the social and communication aspects. This situationseems to have improved with the prospective formation of aninformation» education and communication cell attached tothe PHED, GOWB. Further, there have been no visibleefforts to co-ordinate the efforts of officials fromcomplementary departments such as the Departments of RuralDevelopment, Panchayati Raj, Health, Women and ChildDevelopment. Given that this intradepartmenta 1 co-ordination is lacking, there has been no stimulus to changethe provider-beneficiary relationship between the governmentagencies and the community, thus reinforcing the pater-nalistic image of the government as regards WSS.

At the community level, there seems to exist no viablestructure such as hamlet/village committees, or animators,etc. who would initiate and co-ordinate activities throughthe Gram Panchayats with the already established JanaSwasthya Sthayee Samitis(JSS) at the Panchayat Samiti level.

ii) Proposed Action

The IEC component will aim basically at raising awarenessin and motivating the community toward considering waterand sanitation issues as two sides of the same coin, so tospeak, as well as to foster in it a sense of ownership ofthe project. While in the former, the vital connecting linkwill be water and sanitation related health issues with itsconsequent need for sustained hygiene education, the latteraspect will be crucial to developing the idea of communitymanagement on the ground as well as creating an atmosphereconducive to implementing a viable cost recovery mechanism.

Community management, a concept which leads on as a naturalevolution from effective community participation, will notbe treated as a separate component as it runs like a threadthrough virtually all the project components. In effect it

20

will tend to be the determining criterion of the project'sef fectiveness.

Another function of the component will be to disseminateinformation about the project's activities to otherconcerned and interested partners, both official and non-official at various levels. The intention is to formulateguidelines on the WSS experience of the project that couldhelp in suitable replication, with local variations, acrossthe country .

iii) Methodologies

While the chief foci of the IEC strategy have been brieflydescribed under the 'Proposed Action' section, the methodo-logies to mobilize and operations 1ize these options areoutlined here. These strategies are subject to modificationdepending on the outcome of the baseline survey/needassessment study.

A. Workshops/Seminars

These workshops/seminars will be conducted in order tofacilitate a free flow of information between the par-ticipants which will eventually serve as an importantfeedback source for project strategy and implementation.The participants would represent, in most cases, a mix ofcommunity representatives, implementing agency officials atall levels, non-government officials (NGOs), and inviteeswith subject expertise from the state or other states. Thevehicles of communication used at these fora could beaudio/audio visual/visual, etc. The first workshop isproposed to be held in early October 1990, the generalobjective of which will be to discuss this document and thevarious related inputs expected from the community'srepresentatives, select NGOs, representatives from otherconcerned UN agencies, government officials and projectstaff.

The project will also consider a short 2-day workshop oncommunications strategy based on the results of thebaseline/needs assessment study, which will help to giveconcrete shape to the strategy to be articulated in thefinal project document.

B. Training

The training sub-component will be initiated veryearly in the project and will involve training of trainers,training/sensitization sessions for officials of differentimplementing agencies and training programmes at the

21

community level.

Training will be implemented through a number of channels,such as educational institutions, training institutes andselected NGOs. The local International Training NetworkCentre (ITN) at Calcutta will also be involved.

Training materials will be prepared in consultation withthe community and government implementing agencies. Thecontent and scope of these training courses will be arrivedat after the information derived from the needs assessmentstudy has been analyzed.

C. Group formation

The project will focus on the formation of groups at thehamlet/village level who will be instrumental in motivatingthe community on a sustained basis towards the statedobjectives of the project. These groups could be women'sgroups/adolescent girls' groups/children's groups. Theeffort will be to draw persons from each household intothis activity. An effort will also be made to initiate thedevelopment of IEC materials from the constituents of suchgroups. These groups will interact on a virtuallycontinuous basis with the selected animators and facilita-tors so that adequate feedback is available to modify orreorient IEC strategies as and when needed. The needsassessment study will be instrumental in establishing theviability of such groups on a sustained basis.

D. Media Vehicles

The choice of media vehicles will be largely influenced bythe findings of the needs assessment study and discussionswith the community. While vehicles such as primary schools,anganwadis, radios, puppet shows, films, cartoons etc. willbe considered for effective communication and disseminationof the messages, the basic emphasis will be on theinterpersonal aspect, as any fundamental change in attitudeseems to result from the sustained use of this form ofcommunication. In this sense, the contribution of thegroups referred to above can be vital. As mentioned earlierthe project will also seek to encourage village/hamletinitiatives regarding the creation of IEC materials. Theproject may consider activities such as a one-page news-sheet on WSS issues once-weekly from local primary schools.

E. Information Dissemination

As part of the IEC component, the project will preparedocumentation - printed and audio-visual - on the project'songoing activities for dissemination of information to

. •• ' ' . ' • 2 2 • . •. . ' ' •. •• • " .

concerned departments at various levels of government, aswell as to NGOs and other non-official parties inter-ested/involved in the development process. As the projectdevelops, it will also prepare WSS guidelines as to how theproject could be replicated, with local variations, on anational level.

4. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

i. Status

Available information seem to indicate that there isno viable monitoring and evaluation mechanism at theblock level regarding water and sanitation issues.

i i. Proposed Action

(a) The project will develop a monitoring andevaluation mechanism at the block level that can beapplied to water and sanitation strategies andactivities on a long-term basis.

(b) The project will encourage continuous monitoringand internal evaluation as well as a planned schedulefor external evaluation.

iii) Methodo 1oqies

Internal evaluation will take place through theholding of regular workshops/seminars at thecommunity/district/state levels as well as throughmore informal discussions by project staff withanimators and the community at large.

External evaluation of project activities will bescheduled twice during the lifetime of the project -a mid-term review and an end-of-project review. Theproject will consider hiring two agencies/consultants(one internationa1/one local) who will undertake thesereviews.

Data from the baseline survey at the beginning of theproject will be compared with data collected throughthe monitoring activity in order to measure the impactof the project. In this context, a set of progressindicators will be prepared during the final projectpreparation. The project will attempt to involve thecommunity in data collection, as a strategy tofacilitate community participation leading on tocommunity management of the project.

•:•! •• ' : ; :' ' • ' ' • .. ' 2 3 • ' • . '

5. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

i) Status

The present institutional framework theoretically reachesdown from the government agencies to the Panchayat Samitilevel with water and sanitation issues being provided aforum through the JanaSwasthya Sthaee Samiti (JSS). It doesnot, however, indicate that there is a free flow ofinformation in both directions which would offer the maximumpotential for both feedback into governmental policy andimplementation of these policies. Further, there seems nostructure available for a regular and easy transmission ofinformation from the hamlet/village level up to the GramPanchayat level.

Related to the above is the need for sensitizing throughtraining programmes, officials and non-officials involvedin implementation towards the need to recognize the vitalnature of information available at the community level,and the need to use this information in the formulation andimplementation of WSS strategies.

i i) Proposed Action

The project will consider the formation and establishmentof the necessary group structures at the hsmlet/villagelevel and wherever else is considered necessary by thecommunity, in consultation with the concerned governmentofficials and Panchayati functionaries. The presence andeffective functioning of these groups could contribute agreat deal to sustained attitudinal changes in the communitythat would be vital to the successful implementation of thepresent project.

The project would also consider setting up trainingprogrammes, both technical and non-technica1 , for of f-icials/non officials and community involved in the formula-tion and implementation of the project.

iii) Methodologies

The strategies leading to group formation, though alreadyarticulated in this document, are to be viewed as initialor explanatory scenarios. More concrete strategies willevolve from the proposed workshop at the block level.Training programmes for staf f/non-staff functionariesassociated with the project would be conducted at the statelevel , district level and block level . The nature andcontent of these training programmes will be worked out bya training specialist/communications specialist in

24

conjunction with the community and the concerned StateGovernment officials.

b. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION/MANAGEMENT

i) Status

It became increasingly apparent towards the middle of theInternational Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade (1980-1990) that the development and provision of low-costtechnologies relating to water supply and sanitation to low-income communities would pose serious long term financialconstraints for the government. This was reflected in ascenario where facilities, especially those for water supplywere regarded by the community as government property withthe related attitude that maintenance of these facilitieswas entirely the government's responsibility. Thissituation not only puts a great strain on the government'sfinancial resources but also has negative implicationsregarding the actual maintenance of the facility as forexample, long response times in case of breakdown with helpexpected from the block/district level. These long waiting

•• periods, also had the potential of triggering off waterrelated disease epidemics, as the villagers would have inthe meantime, turned to any alternative water source.

Planners began to realize that the active involvement of thecommunity in the Water and Sanitation (WSS) programme, inthe operation and maintenance of facilities would be crucialto its success. In order to create this sense ofinvolvement and "ownership" of water and sanitationfacilities at the community level, it was regarded necessaryto involve the intended beneficiaries, especially women,

: in the planning and implementation of the project/programmeright from the inception.

The theoretical construct of the W. Bengal Panchayat Act1973 involves the devolution of power so that responsibilityfor operation and maintenance of the WSS programme restswith the Panchayat system. While attempts to involve thecommunity in WSS programmes through the Panchayati Rajnetwork form the theoretical basis of WSS schemes in W.Bengal, the participatory approach, leading on to communitymanagement does not as yet seem to have struck deep rootsin actual practice.

25

ii) Proposed ftction

The primary focus of the project will be to assist thecommunity in organizing itself to take responsibility forthe operation and maintenance (D&M) of the water supplyfacilities and also to contribute in terms of labour andcash in the construction of sanitation facilities. To thisend, the project proposes to hold an initial projectformulation workshop at which representatives of thecommunity, NGOs, GOWB and RWSG-SA could discuss theproposals in this document. Recommendations emanating fromthis workshop will find place in the final project document.

The strategies which could conceivably lead to effectivecommunity participation/management relate directly to theformulation and implementation of a participativecommunication and training strategy.

The communication strategy, which will be evolved in closeconsultation with the community, will tend to focus on theinvolvement of the user community and especially women,through building up a network of groups at thevil lags/hamlet level and filling gaps in the informationflow. Thus, while there ar& Jana Swasthya Sthyaee Samiti(J3S) at the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti level, nosuch body exists at the gram panchayat and hamlet level.The project will therefore consider the formation of a JSSat the Gram Panchayat and hamlet level which will organisethe vi11 age/hamlet level activities through the groups(women/adolescent girls/boys/children) formed at that level.Animators and facilitators will act as the link persons inthe information/activity flow.

As regards training activities, these again will flow up anddown the channels which the project will seek to establishbetween the community on the one hand and the StateGovernment on the other. The network that will hold thevarious strategies in place and lead to the empowerment ofthe community will potentially consist of the communitygroups, animators, facilitators, the JSS committees,concerned project officials and government staff.Ultimately, through this community based approach theproject hopes to stress the mutual responsibility thatexists between the community ,̂nd government institutions andarticulate this sense through participative strategies atevery level of the project's functioning.

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V. STRATEGIES

As part of the National Drinking Water Technology Mission mandateto promote improvements in the drinking water sector the projectwill develop and demonstrate implementation strategies forintegrated rural water supply and sanitation services suitable forreplication. These strategies will be conceptualized andoperationalized within the framework of planned policy reformdevolving responsibility for infrastructure services to thepanchayat level. The strategies will include, but not berestricted to the following.

1. Water Supply

a) While considerable progress has been made in the block inproviding drinking water facilities (with the RWS coverageranging from 607. to 1007.), attention needs to be paid toimprove service levels and ensure sustainabi1ity. Theimplementation strategy would have the following prioriti-es : .., • . . . • • . • • . •

to provide water supply to presently unserved/-

- to rehabilitate existing systems;

- to upgrade the facilities on demand if supportedby willingness to cost-share on a substantialbasis.

(b) Involvement of the communities in planning and implementa-tion is considered most important. To inculcate a sense ofownership in the communities towards the facilities to beinstalled, contributions to investment cost would beconsidered an essential element.

(c) The project would finance the installation of some newversions of handpumps to demonstrate the easy maintenanceaspects which is expected to create demand.

(d) Implementation would be taken up only for those communitieswhich express willingness to take over the completed schemeand agree to operate and maintain these on their own.

(e) The project would hold training programs/work-shops/demonstrations to create self sustaining 0&M capabi-lities at the hamlet/Gram Panchayat level.

27

(f) The communities would be sensitized regarding the need tomonitor water quality at regular invervals to ensure thatthe water they drink is really safe. The project wouldsupport the establishment of a public health (PH) laboratoryin the project ares. Use of field kits for water qualitytesting will be promoted.

2. Environmental Sanitation

Very little progress has been made in this ar^a, with thecoverage under rural sanitation standing at as low apercentage as 3"/. of the rural population. This is largelyattributable to the lack of awareness at the communitylevel of the benefits that sound environmental sanitationcan provide. The implementation strategy would have thefollowing priorities.

(i) Sani tation •

(a) It is clear that substantial work needs to be done toimprove the sanitation in the project area and the projectwill ensure an adequate emphasis on this aspect.

(b) A promotion and mobilization campaign will be undertaken tocreate awareness of the dangers of open defecation and thebenefits of using latrines.

(c) On-site sanitation methods are considered most suitable inthe villages and the installation of private latrines willbe encouraged.

(d) The project will make available a number of latrine designs,giving the user the choice to select the one that suits thehousehold best according to price, space requirements etc.

(e) The project would finance 'Demonstration Latrines' in placessuch as anganwadis, primary health centres, gram panchayatoffices, etc.

(f ) The construction of latrines would be taken up only on thebasis of demand from the users and their willingness to makecash contributions and offer unskilled labour.

(g) The project would support the development of the necessaryinstallation capacity by developing masonry capabilitiesthrough training programs and giving loan assistance as seedcapital.

(h) Considering the low income status of the villagers, the GOWBwould consider appropriate subsidy/loan through the existingrural banks to accelerate the latrine program.

2B

ii) Drainage

The strategy would be to educate the communities in respect of thehealth hazards of improper drainage arrangements and the need toprevent stagnant water pools and muddy surroundings at the watersupply delivery points. Simple methods to improve the drainage andmaintain general cleanliness at the water sources would bedemonstrated through the project.

(iii) Solid Waste Management

Considering the small quantity of the solid waste generated. SWMis not expected to a major issue. Disposal of cattle excreta wouldbe one major problem and simple methods of disposal at thehousehold itself would be demonstrated. The emphasis would be oncreating awareness and inculcating hygenic habits relating to SWMat the household level itself.

3. Commun i cation ,

a. The communication strategy will be based on an exhaustivebaseline and needs assesment survey conducted at theMohammed Bazar block level. A social marketing approachcould perhaps yield hard information on clients perceptions and needs which will influence the content and vehicleof behavior changing messages and training curricula.

b. The strategy will attempt to present water and environmen-tal sanitation issue as a single package. A basic con-necting link here would be the health factor.

c. The strategy will focus on various levels of clientele. Inother words, within a scheduled caste village, apart fromattempting to ascertain whether the adults have markedlydifferent perception from upper caste villagers about theirproblem/needs and approaches to these, the strategy wouldalso focus on other groups at the village level such aswomen, children, adolescent girls and boys. In a mixed castevillage, the strategy would perhaps have to be positivelyweighted in favour of the scheduled castes in terms ofsubstance and approach. Again the strategy toward ascheduled tribe village/s may ha/e important differences.In effect, there may be a n.ul ti-1 ayered communicationsstrategy of a complementary nature.

d. The communication strategy will emphasize as far aspossible, training in IEC at all levels - of leaders ofyouth groups, women's groups, schoolteachers, gram pradhans,Sabhapatis, sabhadipatis, animators, facilitators and all

29

government implementing agency officials. Different levelsof training materials may have to be developed in thiscontext.

e. l The strategy will emphasize through its various stages ofplanning, implementation and evaluation that the success orfailure of the project is in the hands of the communityitself. Here considerable emphasis will be put on the rolethat women can play in the successful implementation of theproject. Against this background, the strategy will be tounderscore the fact that while the operation and maintenanceof the water source would be their complete responsibility,this community project would expect contribution from thecommunity in the form of labour and cash with regard to theprovision of sanitation facilities.

f. The strategy would be based on the perception that the'hardware' to be provided to the client community will beoptimally used only when the clients are prepared to acceptthe 'ownership' criterion with all or most of theresponsibilities that this entails.

g. As part of the communication strategy, efforts will be madeto disseminate the findings of the project through works-hops, reports, articles, case studies and networking withother similar projects. These materials will focus onproject experience regarding community involvement,corr.-vjnicaticn strategics and financial cost recoverysystems, for example. Village level and block level RWSSproject packages will be prepared which will includedetailed guidelines on these various aspects. Thesepackages are intended to facilitate the setting-up andreplication of self-reliant community-managed water andsanitation projects, with only minimal assistance fromoutside agencies.

h. The communication strategy will emphasize the need forconstant evaluation of the project's activities so that anynecessary modification/redesign of components can beeffected as part of a dynamic model.

4. Institutional

a. The Eighth Five Year Plan emphasizes the need for village-based management with the active participation and manage-ment of the water/sanitation facilities by the community.The project will assist local level authorities in for-mulating strategies for the implementation of RWSS projectsat the block and village panchayat level. Human resourcedevelopment initiatives will attempt to strengthen

30

institutions at various levels in order to optimize response

to the community's needs. The major focus of suchinitatives would relate to systematic training programmes.

While the project will be executed jointly by the stategovernment institutions and the community, an aspect thatwill be examined in detail will be the potential involvementof NGDs, who often prove to be effective intermediariesbetween the government and the community. Consequently, theproject will consider using a link system of stategovernment, local government, NGOS and the community, shouldsuch an arrangement be clearly seen to contribute towardsmeeting the community's needs.

The institutional strategy of the project will be to attemptto bring together the different implementing agencies so asto minimize any significant variations in terms ofperception or approach regarding implementation of theproject.

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VI. ACTIVITIES

1. Sub-ob i ective:

To motivate the community to participate actively in theproject by creating awareness and changing present attitudesto water and environmental sanitation issues througheffective communication and training strategies.

i ) Output :Situation analysis

Activi ty ;Intensive baseline/needs assessment study using a socialmarketing approach

ii) Output : •Communication strategy

ftcti vi ty :Based on the above, a media assessment strategy leading into a communication strategy. The KAP profile will suggestthe emphases to be put on various communication vehicles -interpersonal, audio, audio visual, printed, group forma-tions, etc. which will present water supply and environ—mental sanitation issues as an integrated issue.

i i i) Outputs :(a) Co-ordinated IEC strategy implementation.(b) Heightened awareness

Activity :Training of extension workers, such as facilitators/leaderof groups, etc in IEC so that a uniform approach to WSSissues is offered to the prospective clients.

Agencies responsible• • • . • . •

i) Professional local organization skilled in socialmarketing surveys and formulation of communicationstrategies.

ii) Government agencies in review of communicationstrategy

iii) District/Zi 1 la/Panchayat/Gram authorities

iv) NGQs .

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2. Sub-objective :

To involve the community and more particularly the women tothe maximum extent from the inception of the project inplanning, implementation, operation and maintenance offacilities in order to help create a sense of responsibilityand ownership.

i) Outputs :(a) Community sense of ownership of project(b) Empowerment of women

i) Activity :(a) Formation of neighbourhood networks at the hamlet

level, Water and Supply and Sanitation(WSS) Committeesas extensions of the Jana Swasthya Sthaee Samitis(JSS) at the Gram Panchayat and vi11 age/hamlet levels.Provisionally, it is suggested that the gender-basednetworks have animators at the hamlet level ; that WSScommittees at the Gram Panchayat Level consist ofanimators as members, facilitators as conveners andthe Pradhan as chairperson; that the JSS samiticonsist of Pradhans at the Block or Panchayat Samitilevel. The conceptual links for effective communityparticipation thus brings together the animator andhouseholds at the hamlet level, animators, facilita-tors and panchayat members at the panchayat levelthough &n extension of the JSS and the facilitator,sabhapati and Project Co-ordinator at the block level.Naturally this is not a static model, and there willbe visible and invisible lines of communication es-tablished at and between all levels, including theZilla Parishad.

b) Discrete activities arising out of communicationstrategy such as group discussions, interpersonalmotivation, training of extension workers and relatedt r a i n i n g a c t i v i t i e s at the h a m -let/village/cluster/block levels.

Agencies responsible

i) Project staff (co-ordinator/communication specialist/trai-ning specialist/facilitators)

ii) Panchayat raj officials (village leaders, Gram Pradhans,Sabhapatis, Sabhadipatis).

iii) Animators at hamlet/village level ;

iv) NGOs

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3. Sub-objective:

To sensitise all implementing agencies of theGovernment, including panchayats regarding the need forcommunity involvement in order to optimize the utilizationand sustainabi1ity of facilities.

i) Outputs :(a) Increased awareness created

(b) Positive change in attitude of government/nongovernment officials towards concept of community par-ticipation.

Activi ty:Regular training sessions, workshops, seminars for allconcerned officials in the implementing departments andrelated departments as well as, where useful, official/nonofficials persons at state/national level.

Agencies responsible :

i) ** Implementing agencies such as the Department of PublicHealth Engineering, the Dept. of Rural Development, theDepartment of Panchayati Raj, as well as concerned departments such as the Dept of Health, Government of West Bengal.

ii) Non-officials from the panchayati raj structure.

4. Sub-objective:

To strengthen the co-ordination between agencies involvedin service delivery through institutional capacity buildingandjointtraining.

i) Outputs :(a) Better understanding of each agency's role in the

successful implementation of the project.

(b) Feedback into project's implementation strategy.

Activity :

(a) Regular joint workshops/seminars for official/nonofficials involved in implementation

(b) Study tours to similar projects in other states.

34

Aqencie5_responsible

Implementing agencies such as Dept of PHE, Dept of RuralDevelopment and Dept, of Panchayati Raj as well as concerneddepartments such as the Department of Health, Govt. of WestBenga1.

5- 5ub-objective;

To provide/upgrade water supply and environmental sanitationfaci1ities.

i) Outputs :Needs assessment !

Activity :To arrive, with the community's participation, at a clearperception of its needs, so that priorities can beestablished .

i i) Output :Design and development of microlevel projects.

i i i) Output : - ; :Construction of facilities. :

flctivitiesa) Preparation of proposal with community involvement;b) Approval of proposal by communityc) Construction of facilityd) Handing over of facility to communitye) Acceptance of the facility by community/individual ack-

nowledging responsibility for its operation and maintenance.

Agencies Responsible :

(i) Community(ii) PHED/Panchayati Raj(iii) Project Staff

6. Sub—objective;

To develop additional local implementation capacity in theprivate sector, specifically in construction and main-tenance.

i) Outputs :(a) Trained masons and handpump mechanics.

• ' • :. ^ • ' ' ' ' 3 5 . . • . . .'•

(b) Village level persons proficient in maintenance ofwater and sanitation facilities.

ftctivi ties :

a) Systematic training in construction and maintenanceprocedures both for men and women, if possible

b) A phased shedule of training in operation and mainten-ance of water and sanitation facilities for both menand women.

Agencies responsible

i) PHED, Government of West Bengalii) Project Staffiii) International Training Network (ITN) Centre, Calcuttaiv) NGOs

7. Sub-objective ;

To develop a viable financial and cost recovery system.

Outputs : .(a) Develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for

water and sanitation facilities set up in the block(b) Development of a viable financial and cost recovery

system, including a mechanism for provision of loanto beneficiaries through the existing rural bankingsy stern.

Ac tivi ties :(a) Preliminary feasibility study on a location specific

basis.(b) Discussions with concerned government officials and

non-officials who have been associated with anycomparable exercise.

(c) Discussion with representatives of zilla parishads/-panchayat samitis/gram panchayats/community groups.

Agencies Responsible;

(i) JSS committees '(ii) Concerned government departments(iii) Project staff(iv) Rural Banks/Cooperative Society/ District Industries

Centre officials

B & 9 Sub-objeetives:

To prepare guidelines for future implementation based ontested and proven approaches to various aspects of thedelivery system; and to demonstrate the impact and benefitsof an integrated project approach to water and sanitationissues.

i) Output:Feedback information for project implementation.Activity ;Continual internal evaluation as well as systematic externalevaluation exercises.

ii ) Output :(a) Material for networking with other development agencies both

official and non officialActivi ty :

(a) Preparation of audiovisual/printed matter on projectactivi tie=.

(b) Holding of workshops/seminars to discuss on-going projectactivities.

i i i ) Du tput: ' .•• '

Gathering of information for optimal implementation of ac-tivities.Activi ty :Holding of workshops/seminars to discuss the project'songoing activities.

i v ) Outputs :Constructing a model, based on field experience, forreplicable projects on a nation-wide basis; increasedpublic awareness of demonstration project relevance.

• Activity :

Putting together of WSS packages/kits which could serve as; instructional material for similar projects. These will

contain guidelines on various issues such as the viabilityof a cost recovery mechanism, the role of NGOs, thestrengths/weaknesses of the communication strategy used,etc .

Agencies responsib1 e

Project staffGOI/GQWB .: •. :

37

10. Sub-objective:

To develop a monitoring and evaluation system. #

(i) Output;Situation Analysis.

Activity :Study of the existing monitoring & evaluation system by aconsu1 tant.

( ii ) Output:Progress indicators.

Activity ;Base line and KAP study and Analysis by a Consultant.

( iii ) Output.:Recommendations on institutional mechanism -for Monitoringand Evaluation Mechanism.

yAnalysis of data under above two activities.

( i v ) Output_j_Establishment of Monitoring and Evaluation system.

Activity :Development of formats and frequency of data collection andstructural changes in the existing institutions.

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VII ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

1. •MANAGEMENT

The State government through its local departments will primarilybe responsible for the execution of the demonstration project withactive participation and support from RWSG-SA in close coordinationwith the. Department of Rural Development (DRD), Government ofIndia. Apart from providing technical and communication support,RWSG-SA will be directly responsible for the dissemination offindings, monitoring, evaluation, and coordination. The PHED willbe the nodal agency for the project.

In general, the project will be executed through existing channelswith the active involvement of the community which means by theState government through its district level, block level andvillage level institutions working together with the community.Steering/advisory committees consisting of representatives fromall involved sectors are proposed at state, district and blocklevels. These steering committees will meet regularly to discussthe progress of the project and to take decisions to ensure speedyand efficient implementation of the project, modifying strategiesas necessary in consultation with the line personnel. Forming a"design support" team of specialists with specific terms ofreference to suggest and where necessary, initiatemodifications will be an integral part of the project implementa-tion process. ••

At the state level the project co-ordinator/head of the projectimplementation support unit, will be responsible for the prepara-tion of the final project document, introduction of the integratedapproach package at block and village level', and coordinationbetween different agencies. The co-ordinator will provide supportto state government institutions for effective implementation ofthe project, monitoring, training, supervision of NGOs andconsultants, and arrange workshops and seminars. The co-ordinatorwill work closely with the Panchayati Raj officials and governmentfunctionaries. Effectively, the project Co-ordinator will assistthe BDO in project implementation.

NGOs could be responsible for providing extension and similartraining activities, depending on the inputs into project for—mulation relating to their need and efficacy at this specificlocation. The responsibility of the management of operation andmaintenance of installed facilities will be progressively handedover to the community.

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2. ROLES OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES

The role of different agencies in the implementation of thedemonstration project is discussed in the following paragraphs.

I. Community

The approach in this project will be different to thatof the usual water and sanitation project that tendsto measure its success in terms of installation ofhardware. The community will play a very importantrole in this demonstration project. The role of thecommunity will be to participate in the project fromthe initial stage itself. The inputs from thecommunity arB perceived as follows:

(i) Participate in the process of need assessment.

(ii) Decide about the level of service required by itand location of facility.

(iii)Take active part in the project strategiesformulation process.

(iv) Take part in construction activities, workshopsand training programs.

(v) Organize the operation and maintenance of waterand sanitation facilities at village level; and

(vi) Participate actively in cost recovery.

(vii)Participate in Monitoring and evaluationexcercise(s).

II. State Governments

The state government will be the main implementingagency responsible for the execution of the demonst-ration project. The implementation will be donethrough the existing state, district, block andvillage level government institutions. The inputsfrom the state government are as follows.

(i) Provide office space for the project office at. block headquarters, with water and electricity,

telephone, office furniture and equipment;

(ii) Provide services of all relevant governmentpersonnel.

(iii) Organize workshops, seminars, training camps,etc . ,

40

(iv) Construct water, sanitation, drainage and solidwaste facilities through local agen-cies/users/NGOs/private sector.

(v) Provide loans and other funding arrangements tobeneficiaries for construction of water andsanitation facilities; and

(vi) Review documents/guidelines prepared by theproject staff.

III. Central Government

At the national level the Department of RuralDevelopment, Ministry of Agriculture will coordinateand monitor the project. The inputs from the GOI Areas fol lows.

(i) Assist in finalizing the location of the project;

(ii^ PrDvjd» surrort in finsli^inn sr^psment betweenthe state government and the RWSG-SA;

(iii)Fsrtici pate in different workshops and assessmentmissions ;

(iv) Assist in finalizing project strategies/priori-ties; and

(v) Monitor progress and give suitable directions toimplementing agencies.

IV. RWSG-SA

RWSG-SA will assist the state government in theimplementation of the project. Apart from providingtechnical and communication support, the RWSG-SA willbe directly responsible for dissemination of findings,monitoring, evaluation and coordination. The inputsfrom the RWSG-SA are as follows.

(i)Provide services of consultants as needed;

(ii)Develop training packages on different topics;

(iii)Provide resources for construction of initialdemonstration facilities in water supply andsanitation ;

41

(iv) Support training programs at various levels incooperation with the state governments;

(v) Disseminate lessons learnt at state, nationaland international level;

(vi)Prepare guidelines and packages based on thetested and proven approaches; and

(vii)Coordinate between different agencies.

3. ENVISAGED STRUCTURE TO FACILITATE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

The proposed structures relate to the benefits thatcan be derived in terms of project implementation fromestablishing a framework linking the hamlet/village to thestate-level organization in a meaningful manner. Thevarious levels at which committees relating to water supplyand sanitation ( WSS ) are intended to be formed andrepresentation in these committees are briefly outlinedhere.

(i) Hamlet/Vil lage Level

Extension of JSS committee, specifically focusedon WSS issues, consisting of suitablerepresentatives from members of each household(emphasis on women, as far as is practical andpossi ble)

The convenor of this committee would be theAnimator chosen by the community from among thevarious household representatives.

Supporting functionaries at this level would bethe anganwadi worker, the MPHW ( F ) or (M) thehandpump caretaker, women's/ adolescentgirls/children's groups, etc.

(ii) Gram Panchayat/Vi1 lage cluster level

The JSS Committee at this level will be composedof selected animators.

The convenor of the committee would be thefacilitator, the chairperson would be the Pradhanand the Extension Officer could be the Co-chairperson.

The supportive network here would be the mechanichelper, the Mukhya Sevika/Sevak and MPHW (F) (M).

42

(i i i) Panchayat Samiti/ Block Level

The Janasasthya Sthayee Samiti (JSS) is analready-established committee at this level.The Samiti consists of the Sabhapati of thePanchayat Samiti, not less than 3 and not morethan 5 persons elected from the samiti by themembers themselves and not more than 5 personsfrom the State Government.

Since this committee is a functioning one, theproject will seek to include the Project Co-ordinator, perhaps on a selective basis in thedeliberations of the Committee. The sabhapatiand the Block Development Officer (BDO) would bethe key functionaries of this committee.

Supporting functionaries at this level includethe Assistant sub-engineer (PHED), ExtensionOfficers of the various concerned Departments of

• • ; Government, the Primary Health Centre Doctor,: etc.

(iv) District/Zi11 a Parishad Level

At this level, there already exists a Janasas-thya Sthayee Samiti which consists of theSabhad i pati , no less than 3 nor more than 5persons elected from the Zilla Parishad by itsmembers and not more than 5 officials of theState Government.

The Col lector of the District and the Sabhadipatiwould be the key functionaries here, with thePHED Engineer as the possible Convenor. It wouldbe useful to seek permission, if possible, forthe project co-ordinator to attend such meetingsas Ar& relevant and important to projectimplementation.

The supporting functionaries here would be theDeputy Heads of Departments such as PHED, Health,Panchayat Raj, Rural Development, Women and ChildDevelopment, etc.

(v) State Level

The steering committee of this level would becomposed of the various concerned departmentalheads, and RWSG-SA representatives. The convenorwould be the Secretary, PHED.

43

4. Project Office

The block level project office to be set up willconsist of the following personnel:

(i) Project Co-ordinator(ii) Engineering Specialist(iii) Communication Specialist(iv) Training Specialist(v) Facilitators (probably 12; 1 for each Gram

Panchayat in the Block),(vi) Office support staff.

VIII INPUTS

I. Human Resources

Project Coordinator 1Communications Specialist - 1Training Specialist - 1Engineering Specialist - 1Office Assistant-- 1Data Entry Operator - 1Driver - 1Facilitators (village level) 12Consultants - 25 M/li

II. Office Equipment

Computer - 1Typewriter - 1Portable Generating Set - 1Miscellaneous I terns

III. Transport

Motor Van - 1

IV- Training Equipment

Slide Projector - 1Overhead Projector - 1Colour Television - 1Video Cassette Recorder -Training Aids - 12 sets

V. Construction

Water and environmental sanitation demonstrationfacilities (excluding drilling of borewell).Quantity to be decided after a baseline and needassessment survey.

VI. Maintenance Tools

Tool sets for the maintenance of Indian Mark IIDeepwell handpumps - 12 sets.

VII. Training Activities

- Training materials- Training courses at selected institutes

45

IX ACTION PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION ,

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Approval of project proposal

Preparation of projectdiscussion paper

Initial workshop on projectformulation

Recruitment of project staff

Establishment of projectoffice

Identification of consultant/organization to carry outbaseline survey/needsassessment survey

Training of facilitators

Baseline/needs assessmentstudy/analysis of information/presentation of report

Project document

Project launch workshop

SCHEDULE

1990MAY

X

JUN JUL AUG

X

SEP

X

X

OCT

X

X

X

X

NOV

X

DEC

X

1991JAN

X

X

FEB

X

MAR

X

X. FINANCING MECHANISM

The total cost of the project for all the components over the 3year period is estimated at U.S. * 800,000.

1. Government of West Bengal: Non-reimbursable costs

The following components which are to be provided by theGovernment of West Bengal have not been included in theproject costB. The cost of these components is to be borneentirely by the State Government.i. Office accommodation;ii. Office furniture;iii. Construction of water and environmental sanitation

facilities, excepting the demonstration facilities;iv. Loan to beneficiaries/artisans;v. Subsidies, if any, for beneficiaries.

2. Funding Pattern

The Government of West Bengal and RWSG-SA will jointlyfinance the project. 257. of the budgeted amount will beprovided by the State Government with the RWSG-5A making upthe remaining 757. percent. RWSG-SA ' s contribution has beenmade possible through financial inputs by NORAD.

3. Operation of Imprest Account

An imprest account holding funds required for a 3- monthnormal operation of the project will be opened with anationalized bank at Mohammad Bazar. The account will be

; operated by the project co-ordinator and the engineeringspecialist of the team. The project co-ordinator willsubmit a monthly statement of expenses to RWSG-SA. Theresponsibility for scrutiny and approval of the statementof expenses will rest with the RWSG-SA. The Government ofWest Bengal will, on receipt of the approved statement ofexpenses, replenish the project imprest account to theextent of 257. of the actual expenditure incurred by theproject. Similarly, RWSG-SA, after scrutiny and approvalof the expenses statement, will replenish the projectimprest account to the extent of 757. of the amount actuallyincurred.

4. 'Popular Contribution' by Communities

With regard to the construction of water and environmentalsanitation facilities (excepting the demonstration units),the beneficiaries are expected to make a 'popularcontribution' which will consist of cash and/or labor as perthe guidelines formulated by the Government of West Bengal

; in consultation with the community. The construction of new

water facilities to upgrade the service level will beconsidered only if and when the concerned community agrees

to make its contribution towards the capital costs andagrees to bear the full costs of operation and maintenanceof the faci1ity.

Loans to Artisans

As part of the local capacity building exercise, trainingwill be imparted to potential masons and pump mechanics.The Government of West Bengal will consider providing loansto the artisans trained by the project through the DistrictIndustrial Centres/Rural Banks/Co-operative Banks so as toenable them to establish manufacturing/service centres ineach Gram Panchayat.

6. Subsidies

Currently, the State Government has no scheme through whichsubsidies can be provided to extend financial support tothose who wish to construct a twin-pit latrine for privateuse. Based on the experience of subsidy schemes working inother states, the Government of West Bengal will considerthe formulation of such a scheme as part of the demand-generating exercise in the rural sanitation sector.

F l l . i

ANNKX 1

Statua of Water Supply Coverage to ttura1 Population.in Birbhum aa on 1.3.1990

1. Total No. of Villages

2.. Total Population

3. Piped Water SupplyNo of villagesPopulationPercentage of population covered

4. Spot SourcesHo. of spot sourcesPopulation.Percentage of population covered

2,229

1,922,000

61173,0009%

9,3701,405,00073.1%

ÏQIÔL

PopulationPercentage of population coveredBalance to be covered

1,578,00082.1%344,000(17.9%)

2. Physical target for Racal Wfitcy {ÎUPPIV ovpr tho 8th 5 ^ear plan

Piped Water Supply (PWS) : 9Mo. of villages to be covered : 134Population : 116, 000New HBTW ' : 440New RBTW : 900New Wells : 180No. of wells to have sanitary protection : 75No. of PWS to be rejuvenated : 1Augmentation of PWS . : 14

HBTW

Resinking/conversion : 345Replacement of handpurup : 1,381

EBTH

Resinking : 342Replacement of handpump : 300

49

Ui

o

STATEGOVERNMENT

PROJECTSTAFF

ANNEX 2: TENTATIVE PROJECT LINKAGE ORGANOGRAM

LEVEL PANCHAYATt RAJ NETWORK

SECRETARYPHED

COLLECTORDY. HEADS OF

DEPTS.

EXECUTIVEENGINEER, PHED

BDO

SAE;EXTENSIONOFFICERS

SAE;EXTENSIONOFFICERS

* r

UNDP/RWSG-SAPROJECT OFFICER

CONSULTANTS, ETC.

/PROJECT

COORDINATOR

PJT. COORDINATORCOMMUNICATION SPLST.

TRAINING SPLST.ENGINEER

FACILITATOR

r

ANIMATORS

i /STATE

*

ZILLA PARfSHAD

1

PANCHAYAT SAMITI

^ ƒ

\

GRAM PANCHAYAT

J

VILLAGE/HAMLET

t J

V '

s *

STEERING COMMITTEEHEADS OF ALL DEPTS. AND

REPS. UNDP/RWSG-SAJ

t

JSS COMMITTEESABHADIPAT1/SABHAPADI/STATE GOVT. NOMINEES

JSS COMMITTEESAB H APATI/PRADHANS/STATE

GOVT. NOMINEES

WATER & SANITATION (WSS)COMMITTEES

AS EXTENSIONS OF JSS ANIMATORS/FACILITATORS/PRADHAN

NEIGHBOURHOCI.EWOMEN/ADOL

BOYS/CHILDRE

f

)D NETWORKSESCENT GIRLS/:NS GROUPS

.Ne. al

OOcbb

sut* t

2OM a

itSE (OCH»)

Durtfvwi

DtifMlng

OMtlonl M . EEfl) .OUBld

Ohktetf . 1 » AE(0J

ANNEX 3 : PHED ORGANISATION CHART

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lOOVEnwuËHT OF WESTOËHOAt, |

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