The government of Rajasthan (India) is executing an Integrated Water Supply,
Sanitation, Health Education and Community Participation project estimated
to cost US $100 million in its first phase to provide sustained water supply,
Sanitation and Health Education to about 400 villages with the assistance of
the governments of India and Germany. The main objectives of
the project are to: provide sustained/ regular water supply; improve
environmental sanitation and health; create awareness of the value
water and prevent waste; provide payment towards water; and, create a sense
of ownership among the masses. To achieve the objectives of the project, hel
from the community has been organized from the planning stage to
execution and then during Operation & Maintenance.
The community participation and sanitation are organized through an
autonomous organization CPU. The village distribution system is laid in the
trenches excavated by the villagers through voluntary labor. Site
identification for stand posts and cattle water troughs is decided by the
villagers. Maintenance and repair of the distribution system within the village
is the responsibility of the Water Health Committee (WHC) of the village which
also decides a model for collecting water charges from villagers.
The WHC and women's group have greatly helped in significant
improvements in the sanitation level within the village, greatly enhanced
consciousness for water conservation and preventing water waste. One of the
significant results of involvement of the community and cost recovery is
enormous saving of water. The long queues of women and children at the
stand post have almost disappeared.
So far, 335 villages are getting 24 hours regular water supply at designed
pressure on sustained basis; people are managing water supply within the
village and are paying water charges on a regular basis. Sanitation and health
status in the villages covered have greatly improved. Includes 3 references, table, figure.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 390 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 11 |
| Published : | 06/17/2005 |
