DISTRICT CO-ORDINATING AGENCY FOR IEC PROGRAMMES ON SANITATION FOR MALAPPURAM AND THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DISTRICTS

Funding Agency: Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission through Rural Development Department of Kerala

Sanitation, being a way of life, must come from within the people; is nourished by knowledge and grows as an obligation and an ideal in human relations. Provision for proper sanitation and safe drinking water are the most important contributing factors for improving the health of the people. This is the basic approach adopted by the Government of Kerala in implementing the Total Sanitation and Health programme in the state. Centre for Environment and Development was appointed as the District Co-ordinating Agency and Technical Support Unit for implementing the programmes in Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram districts.

Under this project, CED organized Health Clubs in about 1540 Schools in Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram districts; trained around 5500 teachers and 1200 PTA representatives in School Health programmes and conducted a number of activities in schools afterwards. Organized “Living with Environment Camps” at Block and Panchayat level giving stress to health of the children. Constructed Soakage pits and Garbage pits in all schools with their own effort. Initiated campaign to stop using plastic carry bags in schools and to declare the schools as “Plastic free Campus”. At Panchayat level, CED undertook assessment at households, hospitals, hotels, market/public places, institutions etc and prepared a defined project report. A number of items have been included in the annual plan of each local body as part of the ongoing People’s Planning Campaign in Kerala. Technical Resource Groups have been formed at District and Block level and Health Promotion Teams have been constituted at Panchayat level. HPT consists of resource persons from various fields and they were in charge of all the technical activities to be carried out in each Panchayat in the field of sanitation. Prepared softwares for training and communication, Handbook on School Sanitation and Health, Technology Manual on Sanitation, Pamphlet on Solid and Liquid Waste Management, Campaign material for “Njanum, Veedum, Nadum” campaign, News letter “Suchithwam”, Video Programme on Sanitation and Health, Pamphlet on plastic and Pamphlet on Hotel Sanitation. Special focus programmes like Coastal Sanitation, Sanitation for Women Workers etc., Institutional sanitation programmes like Hospital Sanitation, Hotel Sanitation, Market/Public places sanitation, etc were initiated.

The ultimate aim of these programmes was to make the community aware about the problems and need of proper sanitation activities and also for capacity building of community through which various sanitation activities are expected to emerge and also the improvement on physical quality of life.