Untapped potential of U-CLTS in tackling the

emerging challenges of urban sanitation

Dr Kamal KarChairman, CLTS Foundation

For the Roundtable discussion on urban sanitation in line with U-CLTSVenue: IRC , The Hague

Setting the Urban context

• In 2014, 54% of the world’s population was residing in urban areas. By 2050, 66% of the world’s population is projected to be urban.• Close to 50% of the world’s urban dwellers reside in relatively

smaller settlements (towns/cities) of less than 500,000 inhabitants. Roughly one in eight live in the 28 mega-cities with more than 10 million inhabitants.• By 2030, about 3 billion people, or about 40% of the world’s

population, will need proper housing and access to basic infrastructure and services such as water and sanitation systems.

Problems due to rapid urbanization in developing countries

• Lack of necessary infrastructure for water and sanitation, energy, transportation, waste management & sewerage• Unequal access to services• Lack of safe housing and proliferation of slums• Rapidly increasing Rural to Urban migration, unauthorized settlement,

threat of eviction, unequal relationship between landlord and tenant,• Lack of interest of the word councilors/ elected people’s representatives

in case of illegal settlements as they don’t have voting rights (Mymensing/Dhaka slums)• Often slum dwellers are used as pawns by politicians • Emerging risks and dangers of public health

Understanding the geographical context of urban vs rural

• There are variations in Urban settlements which may be classified under : Urban, peri-urban/semi rural etc. Thus, providing different opportunities for CLTS to work in urban areas• Several overlap exist between urban and rural areas for synergies to be

formed:• Peri urban towns are distinctly different from high concentration

metropolitan cities/ big cities in terms of livelihoods, mobility etc.

Understanding the geographical context of urban vs rural

• Unlike rural, in urban slums human excreta and solid waste cannot necessarilty be absorbed underground in its entirity unless transported outside the slums either through underground sewerage or surface solid waste collection mechanism.• However, there are Community dynamics and relationships exist

among the urban poor groups which could also be harnessed in urban CLTS.

Case Study - Kalyani

Background• Kalyani is a town 52 k. m. north of Calcutta in Nadia district of

West Bengal• According to 2011 census, the population was 100,620• This town is surrounded by 54 slums, out of which 51 slums

existed when the intervention was made in 2005-6.• Most of the slum residents were originally migrants from

neighboring states and refugees from Bangladesh ( 1-2 generations)• The then Chairman of Kalyani Municipality was keen to apply

CLTS approach and make Kalyani a Open Defecation Free (ODF)

What was done over the past ten years, to improve sanitation profile of 10947 slum families before CLTS?

•MDP sector supported by HUDCO built 700 toilets costing Rs. 5,000/- each • Refugee Rehabilitation Department built 3300 toilets costing

about Rs. 8,500 each • KUSP built 365 toilets costing Rs. 9,900/- each during year

2006-07

Fate of free toilets in a slum of Kalyani Municipality

Experience with Subsidized Toilets

• Low usage• Facilities used for other purposes than the purpose for which

it was built• Poor maintenance• Lack of ownership• Subsidy cannot cover 100% population of all slums• Total dependence on external subsidy

Background

•CLTS was implemented in the 51 slums in 2005. • The programme was implemented under the Kolkata

Urban Services for the Poor (KUSP) funded by DFID•Kalyani declared the first urban ODF town in India in

January 29, 2009

Community of Jhil Par Colony in Kalyani

Municipality making a social map showing

houses with open pit latrines and defecation

areas

Calculation of shit and house hold medical expenses

Monitoring of CLTS Programme was done at different levels

Different coloured cards indicate the status of

different wards regarding CLTS

At the Municipality Board Room

Local Community Innovation in Kalyani

Local Community Innovation in Kalyani

Paved the bases of hand pumps

Cleaning up a clogged drain

A colony in Kalyani declaring themselves ODF

Outcome

• Gastrointestinal (especially diarrhoea and worm infestation)

disorders went down significantly• Community empowerment resulted in positive social

developments such as initiating non-formal / adult education programmes on their own after achieving ODF status, ban on the sale of country liquor in the slums

President of India recognized the success of Kalyani Municipality and awarded its Chairman the National Urban Water Award on August 13, 2009

Key findings• Areas of rural-urban overlap in the slums of Kalyani

• Unlike rural CLTS, the community did not have total decision making control due to: lack of availability of space to dig toilets in-situ, threat of eviction which made investment on sub structure a risk etc.• Moving up the sanitation ladder in Kalyani happened gradually at

different stages:• Community built their own toilets immediately after CLTS triggering• After one year, the communities upgraded their toilets with their

own money• A visit after 8 years revealed that government programmes

provided upgraded toilets – acceptance of this was much more as the community already had achieved collective behaviour change and sustained them over the years.

Lessons learnt

•Whether or not government intervention comes instead of waiting for that best is to intervene with CLTS• This paves the way for future government intervention for any

improvement• Scaling up increased two/three fold after Kalyani municipality

started using NLs/CCs

Moving up the technology ladder

Thank you!

Website: www.cltsfoundation.orgEmail: cltsfoundation@gmail.com

Facebook I Twitter I LinkedIn