Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A novel method to shame the shameless in Tripura
Written by Teresa Rehman
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
A hilarious cartoon put up in a village square of a family found defecating in the complete with the names and addresses of the offenders. Well, this scenario is the reality for people in Tripura’s S.N. Colony Gram Panchayat. This novel method to shame people who s(p)oiled the village surroundings was part of a resolution passed in 2004 by the panchayat in S. N. Colony village in Jirania Rural Development Block in West Tripura district, 18 km from Agartala. The panchayat’s order worked and this village with 670 households was free from open defecation and was also awarded the Nirmal Gram Puraskar in 2005.
The brainchild of the then village headman Bijay Karmakar, the panchayat both amused and alarmed the villagers. It worked as nobody wanted to be caught and shamed in front of the entire village. “As part of the Total Sanitation campaign (TSC), we provided squatting plates to every family so that they did need to relieve themselves in the open. We then conducted an intensive campaign through public meetings and door-to-door meetings. But, I think the resolution to put up the poster was the real clincher,” Karmakar told Tehelka.
The authorities implementing the TSC were also bemused by this interesting step taken by the villagers which could, they felt, also strike the right emotional chord. Deepak Das, Additional Chief Engineer, Drinking Water and Sanitation department, Tripura feels that this campaign should also be replicated in other villages in Tripura. “People in Tripura were used to defecating in bore-hole latrines. Though it is open, at least it is in one fixed place. We are now trying to tell them about modern toilets,” says Das.
Convincing the masses in Tripura has not been difficult because the TSC is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with the broader goal of eradicating open defecation. The TSC is a part of reform principles initiated in 1999 when the Central Rural Sanitation Programme was restructured, making it demand-driven and people centred.
The main goal of the Government of India is to eradicate the practice of open defecation by 2010. To give a fillip to this endeavour, the Government has launched the Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) to recognize and give cash rewards to fully-covered PRIs and those individuals and institutions who have contributed significantly towards ensuring full sanitation coverage in their areas of operation. To put the spotlight on sanitation the UN General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. The goal is to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to reduce by half the 2.6 billion people without access to basic sanitation by 2015.
Talking about sanitation is a tricky affair. The fact that sanitation is a broad issue with implications for a variety of development areas was also stressed in the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation, recently held in Delhi. Chris Heymans, Regional Team Leader of the Water and Sanitation Programme of the World Bank stated that there was a need to usher in a behavioural change among people which would not be possible by merely pumping in money and resources. Innovative and compelling techniques were called for. The Conference reiterated the need for local people to feel a sense of participation and also to not feel repulsed or intimidated by any plan.
This tiny village in Tripura is spearheading the campaign in a witty, innovative and effective manner. The state, with 1039 village panchayats has won 113 NGPs till date. The panchayat of S.N. Nagar, a Nirmal Gram Puraskar awardee has also been trying to impart lessons on health and hygiene to the villagers during satsangs in the local temple. “Almost everyone here comes for evening satsang or community prayer. We use this opportunity to create awareness among the people and tell them that defecating in the open causes diseases,” adds Karmakar.
The villagers have vigilance committees to keep an eye on people breaking the panchayat’s order. But this is one vigilance committee that does not have to work too hard. The “public caricature” resolution passed by the village panchayat at S.N. Nagar village has worked wonders: No poster of someone guilty of soiling the village surroundings and endangering public health has ever had to put up in the village square.
ends
Written by Teresa Rehman
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
A hilarious cartoon put up in a village square of a family found defecating in the complete with the names and addresses of the offenders. Well, this scenario is the reality for people in Tripura’s S.N. Colony Gram Panchayat. This novel method to shame people who s(p)oiled the village surroundings was part of a resolution passed in 2004 by the panchayat in S. N. Colony village in Jirania Rural Development Block in West Tripura district, 18 km from Agartala. The panchayat’s order worked and this village with 670 households was free from open defecation and was also awarded the Nirmal Gram Puraskar in 2005.
The brainchild of the then village headman Bijay Karmakar, the panchayat both amused and alarmed the villagers. It worked as nobody wanted to be caught and shamed in front of the entire village. “As part of the Total Sanitation campaign (TSC), we provided squatting plates to every family so that they did need to relieve themselves in the open. We then conducted an intensive campaign through public meetings and door-to-door meetings. But, I think the resolution to put up the poster was the real clincher,” Karmakar told Tehelka.
The authorities implementing the TSC were also bemused by this interesting step taken by the villagers which could, they felt, also strike the right emotional chord. Deepak Das, Additional Chief Engineer, Drinking Water and Sanitation department, Tripura feels that this campaign should also be replicated in other villages in Tripura. “People in Tripura were used to defecating in bore-hole latrines. Though it is open, at least it is in one fixed place. We are now trying to tell them about modern toilets,” says Das.
Convincing the masses in Tripura has not been difficult because the TSC is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with the broader goal of eradicating open defecation. The TSC is a part of reform principles initiated in 1999 when the Central Rural Sanitation Programme was restructured, making it demand-driven and people centred.
The main goal of the Government of India is to eradicate the practice of open defecation by 2010. To give a fillip to this endeavour, the Government has launched the Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP) to recognize and give cash rewards to fully-covered PRIs and those individuals and institutions who have contributed significantly towards ensuring full sanitation coverage in their areas of operation. To put the spotlight on sanitation the UN General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. The goal is to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to reduce by half the 2.6 billion people without access to basic sanitation by 2015.
Talking about sanitation is a tricky affair. The fact that sanitation is a broad issue with implications for a variety of development areas was also stressed in the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation, recently held in Delhi. Chris Heymans, Regional Team Leader of the Water and Sanitation Programme of the World Bank stated that there was a need to usher in a behavioural change among people which would not be possible by merely pumping in money and resources. Innovative and compelling techniques were called for. The Conference reiterated the need for local people to feel a sense of participation and also to not feel repulsed or intimidated by any plan.
This tiny village in Tripura is spearheading the campaign in a witty, innovative and effective manner. The state, with 1039 village panchayats has won 113 NGPs till date. The panchayat of S.N. Nagar, a Nirmal Gram Puraskar awardee has also been trying to impart lessons on health and hygiene to the villagers during satsangs in the local temple. “Almost everyone here comes for evening satsang or community prayer. We use this opportunity to create awareness among the people and tell them that defecating in the open causes diseases,” adds Karmakar.
The villagers have vigilance committees to keep an eye on people breaking the panchayat’s order. But this is one vigilance committee that does not have to work too hard. The “public caricature” resolution passed by the village panchayat at S.N. Nagar village has worked wonders: No poster of someone guilty of soiling the village surroundings and endangering public health has ever had to put up in the village square.
ends
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Staging Change
Government officials in Assam take to plays to raise awareness of the need for sanitation
TERESA REHMAN
A typical village school scene. The class-monitor checks the nails and teeth of his classmates. Just then the teacher walks in and takes stock of things. The teacher reprimands Jadu, a student, for failing to meet the cleanliness standards, and is sent home. A little later, Jadu’s mother storms in and questions the teacher. She says, “My son has not been keeping well for several days. I have had to consult several witch-doctors.”
A social worker who was passing by hears the commotion and stops at the school. And naturally inquisitive, school children ask the social workers various questions on sanitation and he answers them. The social worker asks Jadu’s mother whether she has a toilet at home. Jadu’s mother replies, “We don’t need a toilet. It’s the government’s job to build it for us. If they can provide Rs 1200 subsidy for the toilet costing Rs 1500, why can’t they spare the extra Rs 300? We would rather relieve ourselves in the bamboo grove in the backyard.”
The social worker then explains that the Rs 300 is to be paid by the beneficiary so that she feels a sense of responsibility towards the maintenance of the toilet. He cites the example of public toilets near the bus stand where nobody needs to keep it clean. “No wonder, in such unhygienic conditions, your son keeps falling sick,” he tells Jadu’s mother.
Interestingly, the social worker in the play titled Natak Nohoi (This is not a play) is Robin Chandra Das, an assistant executive engineer with the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Assam. Das has put together this innovative play, which has no written script and keeps changing from the place in which it is staged.
“We have few other staff members who assist me in staging the play. And in any locality, we often go hunting for local talent a few hours before the play is actually staged. We urge the women and children to participate in the play and once it is over, we hold an interactive session on sanitation. The humour in the play manages to strike the right emotional chord,” says Das.
The play is part of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) which is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with the broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation. TSC, as a part of reform principles, was initiated in 1999 when Central Rural Sanitation Programme was restructured making it demand-driven and people-centered.
And the response has been tremendous. H.A. Ahmed, Executive Engineer, PHED, Biswanath Chariali division of Sonitpur district in Assam is enthused at the participation of his officials. Ahmed says, “Sometimes we also involve the local cultural troupes of the area. And people throng to see the plays which manage to carry the message of sanitation to the masses in a more effective manner.” The play uses anecdotes like how even a cat covers its faeces but, we, human beings defecate in the open and spread infections.
The play also incorporates local dialects and even a few Assamese songs with the sanitation theme keeping the audience hooked. Another scene has a mother walking in with a boy who plays truant. The mother complains, “Earlier he used to skip school complaining of stomachache. But now that I have built a toilet at home with my savings, he cannot play around with the same excuse. Today, I heard something move. I thought that our neighbours had come out to defecate in the open but, instead, I saw my son perched on a tree near the bamboo grove.” She then explains to Jadu’s mother on the benefits of having a toilet at home and how it helps keep flies away.
In Assam, the PHED is responsible for ensuring safe hygiene through Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) as well as providing safe drinking water to all the schools located in rural areas. The play was conceptualised by the PHED officials as part of the Sanitation Week being organised in the state this year. The year 2008 has been declared the International Year of Sanitation which aims to address these challenges by raising awareness of the benefits of good hygiene and by helping to break the taboos about speaking out for changes in behaviour.
The School Sanitation and Hygiene Education, widely known as SSHE, is a comprehensive programme to ensure child-friendly water supply, toilet and hand washing facilities in the schools and promote behavioral change by hygiene education. The importance of SSHE was emphasised at the Third South Asia Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) held in Delhi from 16-21 November.
At present, the SSHE is implemented under the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) and given special thrust by following the proven route of teacher-children-family-community where child is a change-agent playing an effective role on sustained basis to spread the message of improved sanitary and healthy practices.
The main goal of the GOI is to eradicate the practice of open defecation by 2010. To give fillip to this endeavour, GOI has launched Nirmal Gram Puraskar to recognise the efforts in terms of cash awards for fully covered PRI (Panchayat Raj Instituitions), and those individuals and institutions who have contributed significantly in ensuring total sanitary practices in their area of operation.
In the past two years, Assam has bagged eighteen Nirmal Gram Puraskars. Nareswar Kakati, Secretary, PHED, Assam told TEHELKA, “Our main target is to initiate behavioural change in the people using innovative means, paying special attention to whether they belong to the hilly terrain or the plains” The play is a small step in this direction but the sanitation campaign in Assam still has a long way to go.
ends
Government officials in Assam take to plays to raise awareness of the need for sanitation
TERESA REHMAN
A typical village school scene. The class-monitor checks the nails and teeth of his classmates. Just then the teacher walks in and takes stock of things. The teacher reprimands Jadu, a student, for failing to meet the cleanliness standards, and is sent home. A little later, Jadu’s mother storms in and questions the teacher. She says, “My son has not been keeping well for several days. I have had to consult several witch-doctors.”
A social worker who was passing by hears the commotion and stops at the school. And naturally inquisitive, school children ask the social workers various questions on sanitation and he answers them. The social worker asks Jadu’s mother whether she has a toilet at home. Jadu’s mother replies, “We don’t need a toilet. It’s the government’s job to build it for us. If they can provide Rs 1200 subsidy for the toilet costing Rs 1500, why can’t they spare the extra Rs 300? We would rather relieve ourselves in the bamboo grove in the backyard.”
The social worker then explains that the Rs 300 is to be paid by the beneficiary so that she feels a sense of responsibility towards the maintenance of the toilet. He cites the example of public toilets near the bus stand where nobody needs to keep it clean. “No wonder, in such unhygienic conditions, your son keeps falling sick,” he tells Jadu’s mother.
Interestingly, the social worker in the play titled Natak Nohoi (This is not a play) is Robin Chandra Das, an assistant executive engineer with the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Assam. Das has put together this innovative play, which has no written script and keeps changing from the place in which it is staged.
“We have few other staff members who assist me in staging the play. And in any locality, we often go hunting for local talent a few hours before the play is actually staged. We urge the women and children to participate in the play and once it is over, we hold an interactive session on sanitation. The humour in the play manages to strike the right emotional chord,” says Das.
The play is part of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) which is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with the broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation. TSC, as a part of reform principles, was initiated in 1999 when Central Rural Sanitation Programme was restructured making it demand-driven and people-centered.
And the response has been tremendous. H.A. Ahmed, Executive Engineer, PHED, Biswanath Chariali division of Sonitpur district in Assam is enthused at the participation of his officials. Ahmed says, “Sometimes we also involve the local cultural troupes of the area. And people throng to see the plays which manage to carry the message of sanitation to the masses in a more effective manner.” The play uses anecdotes like how even a cat covers its faeces but, we, human beings defecate in the open and spread infections.
The play also incorporates local dialects and even a few Assamese songs with the sanitation theme keeping the audience hooked. Another scene has a mother walking in with a boy who plays truant. The mother complains, “Earlier he used to skip school complaining of stomachache. But now that I have built a toilet at home with my savings, he cannot play around with the same excuse. Today, I heard something move. I thought that our neighbours had come out to defecate in the open but, instead, I saw my son perched on a tree near the bamboo grove.” She then explains to Jadu’s mother on the benefits of having a toilet at home and how it helps keep flies away.
In Assam, the PHED is responsible for ensuring safe hygiene through Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) as well as providing safe drinking water to all the schools located in rural areas. The play was conceptualised by the PHED officials as part of the Sanitation Week being organised in the state this year. The year 2008 has been declared the International Year of Sanitation which aims to address these challenges by raising awareness of the benefits of good hygiene and by helping to break the taboos about speaking out for changes in behaviour.
The School Sanitation and Hygiene Education, widely known as SSHE, is a comprehensive programme to ensure child-friendly water supply, toilet and hand washing facilities in the schools and promote behavioral change by hygiene education. The importance of SSHE was emphasised at the Third South Asia Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) held in Delhi from 16-21 November.
At present, the SSHE is implemented under the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) and given special thrust by following the proven route of teacher-children-family-community where child is a change-agent playing an effective role on sustained basis to spread the message of improved sanitary and healthy practices.
The main goal of the GOI is to eradicate the practice of open defecation by 2010. To give fillip to this endeavour, GOI has launched Nirmal Gram Puraskar to recognise the efforts in terms of cash awards for fully covered PRI (Panchayat Raj Instituitions), and those individuals and institutions who have contributed significantly in ensuring total sanitary practices in their area of operation.
In the past two years, Assam has bagged eighteen Nirmal Gram Puraskars. Nareswar Kakati, Secretary, PHED, Assam told TEHELKA, “Our main target is to initiate behavioural change in the people using innovative means, paying special attention to whether they belong to the hilly terrain or the plains” The play is a small step in this direction but the sanitation campaign in Assam still has a long way to go.
ends
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