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ECOSAN PROPOSAL ANALYSIS REPORT

Eco –sanitation in Villupalayam,

Tamil Nadu

Submitted by

Michelle Mariadoss

First year M.URP, 2nd Semester

Advanced infrastructure planning

Assignment -2

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CONTENTS

1. Summary

2. ECOSAN context

3. Location and Profile

a. Background of the initiative

b. Objectives

c. Scope of the ECOSAN

4. Key role of the initiative

5. Process for implementation

6. Outcomes and achievements

7. Evaluation

8. Probable outcomes of ECOSAN on Villupalayam

9. Project sustainability factor

10.Project replicability

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S UMMARY

The idea of ecological sanitation was first suggested by a German institute of technical education. The idea of involving every household in the sanitation management was suggested in their approach in the aspect of developing environmental sanitation groups across the globe. World nations are aiming to achieve sustainable sanitation practices as per the millennium development goals before 2015. In India, Tamil Nadu is one of the major states to start this ECOSAN and succeed in it based on the agenda, “Envisioning open defecation free Tamil Nadu by 2023”...Presently Tamil Nadu has around 20,000 ECOSAN toilets. IAS officer Shantha Sheela Nair, deputy commissioner of Tamil Nadu planning commission was the major backbone for the ECOSAN initiatives in rural Tamil Nadu. The first success story of ECOSAN in India was from Tamil Nadu (five chosen localities) funded by UNICEF led the development of ECOSAN in the country. In rural Tamil Nadu open defecation is a common scenario; according to 2011 census 45% of the state population defecate in open environment. The condition of the rural Tamil Nadu is more pathetic where only 2% of the population is covered with the sewerage connections, 73% defecate in open environment and in the urban areas 16.2% open defecate. The state sanitation program of 2006 failed, after which the ECOSAN was implemented. Followed by the success of this model it was consecutively implemented in many villages and across India. Tamil Nadu Government with the help of many social groups, local and urban actors identified the down trodden villages for this project. In my report I have tried to analyse the impact on ECOSAN proposal on a village called Villupalayam in Tamil Nadu at various levels like implementation, assessment and maintenance.

E COSAN C ONTEXT

Although the first ECOSAN project was initiated in Kerala the major promotion of ecological sanitation was through the Musri project in Trichy, hence Trichy is rightly referred as a sanitation capital by UNICEF in Tamil Nadu. All the major projects based on the ECOSAN concepts vary based on the topology of the area, for eg: Trichy, Cuddalore and Villupuram were high water table areas, Erode (hard rock areas), Perambalur(water scarcity), Nagapattinam (Tsunami hit coastal areas). The topographical variation was never a major hurdle for the project, with major alteration it was a successful model The villages which got benefitted through this project are Mudichur Village in Kanchipuram District, Pammal Municipality in Chennai, Gandhi Nagar in Vellore District, Melpattampakkam in Cuddalore District, Kanur district, Sethubavachatram block etc. The slogan of this concept is that” quality of life will be enhanced wherever the need is”.

The first time in the world history the first ECOSAN project to pay the toilet users was Musiri project, the average users per day was 400, collection of urine was 300 litres per week. Total resource recovery bio-gas was done through the urine flush toilets. ECOSAN toilets were also built to operate in solar energy along with other aspects of rain water harvesting and napkin incinerator. The concept of urine bank was branched out from this in 2011, to use for the research and commercial purpose tapping of urine was done in household level. Extensive research on agricultural field is carried out with this by major universities. Thimmapuram eco village has the maximum number of napkin incinerators at household level (52 houses). In rural India children acted as the major propagators in carrying the ecological sanitation programmes to parents through school. Many schools were also installed with ECOSAN toilets.

During the Tsunami post rehabilitation time the importance of ECOSAN toilets were of great need, people were scared to go near the sea coast and open defecation was not possible because of the crowded shelters, compost toilets were built but this could not sustain for a very long time due to the high water table.

The energy generated through this process is useful in agricultural field, pisiculture, forestry and bio-gas production. Decentralised waste water treatment plants are installed at various levels of the community. To control the open defecation in Tamil Nadu, the Trichy ULB came out with “namma toilet” project of setting up pre-fabricated toilets along the road was implemented, this records a foot print of 600-700 persons per day. Most of these ECOSAN toilet initiatives were driven by the women force in most of the villages by

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selecting the interested women and training them on ECOSAN toilet importance and the entire community is driven through the women groups.

L OCATION & P ROFILE

Villupalayam is a small hamlet in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. It is very close to the Bay of Bengal (9km) the weather is very humid. This village was identified as one of the poorest villages with no basic facilities of sanitation and clean water by wherever the need (UK registered charity). Illness was very common.

Total population 1500Occupation of villagers Bag making(main)

Project start date 2010Length of the project 6 months

Funded by ACTSupported by Bless

B ACKGROUND O F T HE I NITIATIVE

It was an important criterion to sensitize the people about the ill effects of open defecation. For the success of this project in Villupalayam ACT conducted primary surveys to understand the existing problems of the village people, where the majority of the women expressed their inconvenience in open defecating. During rainy seasons the difficulty level was analysed to be high. Village meetings, visits to the villages already having ECOSAN, NGO’s and other organisations played a vital role here in influencing the people’s mind.

The first phase of the project is over where the ACT body has set up 60 ECOSAN toilets in the village and the usage of these ECOSAN toilets has been observed to be 100%. This planning also establishes the empowerment of female in the village by establishing a small business for leather bag production.

O BJECTIVES

To improve the quality of life in Villupalayam village in Tamil Nadu and transform into a model village of ECOSAN project by bringing in improved sanitation, availability of clean drinking water and up gradation of other livelihood problems.

S COPE O F T HE E COSAN

The sanitation loop will serve as a closed link where the problems of disposal will never arise where the people-urine and faeces-natural manure-soil-crops-people is maintained, the principle of nothing goes waste.

All the ECOSAN projects aim at triple win protection of water through reduced consumption and contamination, water prone diseases are controlled and high yield of energy conservation in the agricultural fields and other energy conservation programmes.

K EY R OLE O F T HE I NITIATIVE

For any organisation implementing the ECOSAN project anywhere across the globe will have to follow prior actions in order to be successful. For ECOSAN to sustain in a village willingness of people is very important to use the toilets and maintain them for their own purpose so initial interventions are very important. They are creating awareness with the people, empowering the active groups, organising

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consultation with the people along with the active group on the project initiatives, assessment of existing conditions and users should be prioritised, identifying and evaluating the reusability, conducting workshop, preparation of plans through PPP model and implementation phase is carried out in a stipulated time.

P ROCESS F OR T HE I MPLEMENTATION

ACT ACT foundation identified the village and funded for the ecological sanitation development, the principle implementing and managerial organisation

BLESS This NGO is the major financial organisation

EMPOWERING COMMUNITY will activate other people (beneficiary). Capacity building was formed by participatory planning approach to appreciate the requirement and sustainability of the project.

PANCHAYAT RAJ The rural development scheme implemented under Tamil Nadu act aimed to adopt policies to popularise the ECOSAN in this village, advocated NGO’s in implementation process. Land was provided by the officials for the construction of toilets. Based on the Gram Pushkar Awards instituted in Tamil Nadu each panchayat can apply for sanitation best practice in their place.

DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION ECOSAN project was approved by the district collector based on the Gram Sabha of year 2010

PWD AND TWAD departments were involved in the preventing the water quality and pumping the sanitation, they also carried out educating people on not to pollute the river bed and to use the ECOSAN toilets.

AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY TNAU was involved in the promotion of vermi composting and organic farming and implemented a new research through urine as a beneficial use for farming and kitchen gardening.

SELF-HELP GROUPS AND ACTIVISTS training to educate and use the ECOSAN toilets were promoted through school children to pass on to their families.

O UTCOMES & A CHIEVEMENTS

Resident’s appreciation towards the project by 100% efficiency Drains are from litter Compost production of manure for agriculture Improved public health Open-defecation free village Reduction of girls drop out in school The project was implemented and finished in 6 months and was selected as one of the best practice

model village in Tamil Nadu.

E VALUATION

Villupalayam village was visited, inspected and evaluation of the success of the project was by the ACT foundation secretary, BLESS organisation, commissioner of planning commission and German technological member

Eco-friendly and cost effectiveness of the project Applicability in the humid climatic condition Easy adaptation of the ecological sanitation in the village was checked with respect to the proximity Maintenance cost and energy conservation Reduction of waste

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Odour control in reuse Economic value generated Willingness of the people towards ecological sanitation after implementation

The further implementation and up gradation of the project was discussed with people and hence the village was in steady progress to transform into an ecologically sustained rural village in Tamil Nadu.

P ROBABLE O UTCOMES O F E COSAN O N V ILLUPALAYAM

Every household installed with urine diversion toilets All the schools and public institutions installed with ECOSAN sanitary complex Sanitary complexes integrated with women sanitary complex Setting up of wastewater treatment plans Every household provided with provision to carry out kitchen gardening and vermi composting

P ROJECT S USTAINABILITY F ACTOR

The participatory planning and involvement of the beneficiaries from the starting stage brought in a good response in using the constructed ECOSAN toilets effectively. These toilets are very effective in the women sector of the community, in terms of spot defecation, reduction in health issues, higher savings in terms of purchasing the fertiliser and compost for their agriculture. Hence this project is a self-sustaining.

The ACT foundation follows unique exit strategy of implementing the ECOSAN project and monitoring the project. In this time they train the self-help groups, children, teachers and community leaders to carry out the project forever and slowly they quit from the scenario. This strategy has enabled them to concentrate and uplift many such villages and to attain the vision much earlier than predicted.

P ROJECT R EPLICABILITY

ECOSAN in Tamil Nadu has been a major benchmark for the development of rural life in Indian villages in terms of sanitation and public health. The state planning commission had addressed many state heads and presented about the ECOSAN villages and the success story. The implementation of this project along the Cauvery river basin, a high water table zone, based on which Krishna delta development project by Andhra Government is carried out in terms of public health. Villupalayam village was an influential idea from the surrounding villages and similarly this has led the development of ecological sanitation programmes in other villages. This has attracted many people from Bihar to replicate the same project in their villages and this project is replicable across India.

R EFERENCE

1. Balamurugan & Ravichandran, 2014; Experience,; 2. From a special cover story on India’s Sanitation Nightmare By Jason Gale in the Bloomberg

Magazine,”3. “Innovative / Best practices in Sanitation Present Status of Sanitation in India,” 2014Panse, Heeb, &

Satish, 2007; Thakur & Panse, 2006; Thazankuda, 2004; 4. United Nation Development Programme, 2008; Werner & Rüd, 2007)5. Peer water exchange,a project of blue planet network portal6. Government Raj and Panchayat Raj department,Government of Tamil Nadu portal7. http://indiasanitationportal.org/45 8. http://www.wherevertheneed.org.in/ 9. http://www.sswm.info/home 10. https://musiri.wordpress.com/