behavior change: the key to ending open defecation (srikanth)
TRANSCRIPT
Sustainable Behaviour Changefor Sanitation
S.N.SrikanthPast President
Rotary Club of Madras
RI Dist 3230, India
The Curse of Open Defecation
2.5 billion people worldwide lack access to improved sanitation 1 billion defecate in the open
Children die of diarrhoea, their growth is stunted,
women risk assault after dark
Is building toilets the obvious solution?Not quite
India: Toilet Construction
0
20
40
60
80
100
1993 2002 2009 2012
85.876.3
65.259.4
30.6
17.911.3 8.8
Rural
Urban
% of rural households without toilets decreased from85.8% in 1993 to 59.4% in 2012
Govt. subsidies currently Rs. 12000 ($185) per toilet
India: Toilet UsageSQUAT Survey Results (2014)
30% of toilets constructed were dysfunctional
40% of households that have a working toilet have at least one person who regularly defecates in the open
Less than half of those who own a government built toilet use it regularly
Poverty doesn’t explain it either
Country % of population defecating in the
open*
Per capita GDP(in USD)*
India 44 1593
Bangladesh 1 1212
Bhutan 2 2656
Dem. Republic Congo
10 456
Myanmar 4 1162
Cameroon 6 1217
Open defecation rates do not correlate well with per capita GDP
*World Bank 2015 figures
We need to stimulate demand by changing people’s attitudes and behaviour
Supply led approaches to sanitation have failed
Emphasis on
Behaviour change, not awareness generation
Open Defecation Free communities, not number of toilets
Community led effort, not doles
Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)One way to approach Behaviour Change
Triggering: at the heart of CLTS
Powerful emotions such as shame and disgust
are leveraged to change behaviour
Amarambedu Village
60 km from Chennai, India
When the project started
Residents: 600+
Households: 109
Toilets: 1
ROTARY CLUB OF MADRASPilot project to end open defecation by changing behaviour
Variant of CLTS used
Community Led Effort at AmarambeduLeach pits being constructed
Govt Engineer Checking Toilet Enclosure
Amarambedu becomesOpen Defecation Free
A toilet in every household
How do we Sustain Behaviour Change?
Criteria for Sustainability
Financially Viable
Acceptable to Stakeholders
Technically Appropriate
Protective of Environment
Waste as resource
Projects of Least Practical Size
Sustainability: whether or not something continues to work over time
Public Perspective may differ from Individual’s
Individual Perspective
Savings in time
Convenience
Privacy
Safety
Dignity for women
Public Perspective
Better health
Lower public health care costs
Higher attendance by girls at school
Reduced contamination of water resources
National or community pride
What you “sell” may not be what they wish to “buy”
Position the desired change in behaviour from the individual’s perspective
2 1
4 3
Benefits
Societal
HighLow
Cost of Adoption
Perceived benefits should be high, cost of adoption low
Thank You