Total Sanitation Campaign

Total Sanitation Campaign
M. Asokan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Total Sanitation Campaign
Country	India
Launched	1999
Ministry	Ministry of Rural Development (India)
Predecessor	Central Rural Sanitation Programme
Successor	Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan; Swachh Bharat Mission
Status	phased out / subsumed

Total Sanitation Campaign The Total Sanitation Campaign was an Indian rural sanitation initiative launched in 1999 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration under the Ministry of Rural Development (India), aiming to eliminate open defecation and improve sanitation coverage by mobilizing communities, deploying behavior change communication, and providing hardware subsidies. It sought to align with international efforts such as the Millennium Development Goals and engaged with multilateral actors like the World Bank, United Nations Children's Fund, and World Health Organization while operating alongside domestic schemes including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the National Rural Health Mission.

Background and Objectives

The campaign succeeded the Central Rural Sanitation Programme and emerged amid growing attention from actors such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and United Nations Development Programme to public health crises exemplified by outbreaks documented in Cholera and Diarrhea studies; objectives included universal household sanitation, eradication of open defecation, promotion of school sanitation linked to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and integration with water supply initiatives like those of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (India). Policy framing drew on international policy instruments such as the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' 2005–2015 and referenced empirical work from institutions including the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Epidemiology.

Implementation and Components

Implementation combined demand generation, supply-side support, community-led approaches inspired by models such as the Community-Led Total Sanitation movement from Bangladesh and NGO practices from WaterAid and CARE International, and hardware subsidies administered through agencies like the District Rural Development Agency and state rural development departments. Components included Behaviour Change Communication campaigns deploying media from Doordarshan and All India Radio, school-based interventions linked to Midday Meal Scheme facilities, women’s sanitation committees modeled after Self-Help Group structures promoted under National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development schemes, and technical guidelines referencing standards from the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation.

Funding and Institutional Framework

Funding blended central allocations from the Ministry of Rural Development (India) with state matching contributions, supported by loans and grants from international financiers including the World Bank and bilateral partners such as United Kingdom Department for International Development and United States Agency for International Development. Institutional architecture involved coordination among the Planning Commission (India), state governments, district magistrates, panchayati raj institutions exemplified by the Panchayati Raj (India) system, and implementing partners such as Indian Council of Agricultural Research extensions and NGOs like Sulabh International and Practical Action.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Impact

Monitoring employed indicators aligned with global metrics used by the World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, combined with district-level reporting to the Ministry of Rural Development (India) and periodic evaluations conducted by research organizations including the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Indian Statistical Institute, and international evaluators commissioned by the World Bank. Impact assessments reported increases in household latrine coverage in many districts and highlighted associations with reduced incidence in waterborne diseases tracked by the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, though results varied across states such as Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Criticisms and Challenges

Critics from academics at institutions like the Centre for Science and Environment and NGOs such as ActionAid pointed to challenges including overemphasis on hardware subsidies, difficulties in sustaining behaviour change noted by researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and National Institute of Rural Development, and implementation gaps in marginalized areas including tribal regions addressed in reports by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (India). Other challenges cited coordination failures involving the District Collector system, variable state political commitment observed across administrations of parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, and inequities in access raised by civil society groups including Oxfam.

Legacy and Successor Programs

The campaign’s methods and lessons informed successor programs including the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan and ultimately the nationwide Swachh Bharat Mission launched under Narendra Modi, integrating innovations from NGOs like Sulabh International and research findings from institutions such as the Indian Institute of Public Health and the Public Health Foundation of India. Its legacy persists in strengthened sanitation policy frameworks, enhanced role of panchayats like those in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, and continued international collaboration with bodies such as the World Bank and UNICEF on sustainable sanitation goals.

Category:Sanitation in India Category:Public health programs in India Category:Environmental policy of India