A Sulabh's agents '~' - IRC Wash

Bihar, Pathakasaywas madeawareofof the bhangis orWho const.it~utethethe caStehierai~chY.mnight-soil~ or ~xclafleS of 1l~~ar,d~ologiCa1~mentor,1~ad demaÏiÏt~d

noticedis thatIhereareno s~’alnongtheseday4ightdefecat”They are too modcst to .e~their.Jund paris to public g_

~,annie~ti11 ~t

enoughfouthem to go nuLA N early morning train

journey goin~~t~f any _____________

~argecity can be a nauseatingexpenence~On both_sides~afth~ _______

rail LT%ci( ~.—‘ !inM .‘~q ~th ~

aÇ~

;;;—~‘~.. 1~4’cr~

323.1 97SU~

(1 Easy rfoijet PioneersVoluntary agency

alk in pay-2apai~o,aclean publ~Iio~leL]~

rAvo

~—Sitting Prettysocioiogjqij~ L

heips flustraWaY poor sBiiWaTt

Bom jnto a unner-ca~tLf~flL~

(1)04)Cl)

1~0~>~

0

z

~‘ What did Louis Xli of FranCehavein com~flOflwith a preseflU(laY Indianvillager in term~of personalhygiefle?SociOl°K~Bindeshwa1- Pathaksupplies the ansWer in his Sulabh

~ .~ lnternaü0~Museum of ToiTetS,11

~‘W Delhi’s dusty ~ihurb of PalaTT

Tuming shit into gold

-‘.Dcnn~_rnn nü

Sulabh’s agents ‘~‘

by ushaRai SHEN Dr BindoshwarPathakfirstproposed

1—97Stj.-143g0

x

SULABHSANITATI ONMOVEMENTIN INDIA

UBRARY IRCP0 Box 93190,2509 AD THE HAGUE

Tel.: -i-31 70 3068980Fax: +31 7035 899 64

BARCODE: , ~ 3 ~ QLO:-~~ ~

A promise to keep

The distance is long and day is short

Hurry home, traveller, hurry home.

Target to liberate scavengersis stili

too far and away; the faster we run the

farther it recedesbeyond horizon.

Scavengersand their farnilies look to us

for their salvation and a new life.

Let us not disappoint them, or else,

we shali be accountable to

history and future generations.

The distance is long and day is short

Hurry home, traveller, hurry home.

Knowledge brings wlth Ittruth, honesty, falrness anddemocracy - Paul Kennedy

A knowledge-based socialservice organisation

SULABH INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANISATION,

the largest natlonally and Internatlonally recognisedpan-

India non-profit voluntary soclal organisation, has 35,000volunteerson the rolls who work to promote human rlghts,

environrnentalsanitation, health & hygiene,non-conventional

sourcesof energy, waste managementand social reformsthrough education, training and campaign. It has developed

a scavenging-freetwo-pit pourflush, safe and hyglenic on-site human waste disposal technology; a new concept of

maintenanceand construction of pay-and-usepublic toilets,

beingusedby abouttenmlllion peopleeveryday, andgeneratlon

of blogasand blofertiliserproducedfrom excreta-basedplants.It hasset up an English-medlumpublic school In New Delhi

and also a network of centresall over the country to trainboys and girls from poor families so that they can compete

in openJobmarket. Sulabh, thus, seeksto set up a modern,

humane soclal order based 011 mutual cooperation. TheUnited Nations Centrefor Human Settlementshasrecognised

Sulabh’s cost-effective and approprlatesanitallon system as

a ‘Global Urban BestPractice’ at the Habitat-Il conferenceheldat Istanbul, Turkey, in June 1996. The Economic and Social

Council of United Nations has granted Special Consuitative

Status to Sulabh In recognitlon of its outstariding service to

people,specially those living on the edge - soclally deprived

and underprivileged. S

OPINION

The Press and the RepubllcwIll rlse and fafl together -

Jefferson

What they say about Sulabh

S “Untouchablesgain the help of a brahmln.”- The NewYork Times

S The most successful of the voluntary scavengeremancipatlonenterpriseshas been the Sulabh ShauchalayaSansthanwhlch hasstartedsomethingof a mlni-revolution In Indlan sanitatlonplannIngby using entrepreneurlalbusinesspractices, modem technologyandaggresslvemarketing methods.’

- The WashingtonPost

S ‘Followers of Gandhihelp ‘Untouchability of the untouchables”.- Frankfurter Aligemelne

S ‘A Brahmln has assoclatedhiinself with menial work which showsthat there a revolution In the making.”

- Frankfurter

S “Dr. PathakbasmadeIt bisalm In life to free scavengersfrom drudgery.’- Globeand Mail

S “Dr. BlndeshwarPathakis a great recleemer.”- TheHindustanTimes

S “Dr. Pathakwont flnd reliefuntil bis countrymenall do loo - In private.”- Far-EasternEconomicReview

S “1 canwell believethatyour work hasbeenan Inspiration to peopleInmany parts of the country - qulte Impressedwlth your Integratedapproachtoward urban redevelopment,public sanitatlon, and powergeneratlon.1 wish you continuedsuccesswlth your numerouspublicprojectsand look forward to greetingyou next time”.

- Mr. Harry G. Barnes,Jr. former VS Ambassadorin NewDelhi

S ‘Dr. Pathakhasbeenurilversally acknowledgedfor bis good work. Hehas beendoing a greatservice to humanityand, In him, we have agreatIridividual who haslearnt to work for humandignity and,hence,we wlsh bim andbis organisattonall the bestfor their efforts.”

- His ExcellencyMr. Jarassa,Anibassadorof thePhilippines in NewDelhi

S ‘~Iwill like to congratulateDr. BlndeshwarPathakwho fully deservethis covetedrecognition’.

- His HollnessPopeJohn Paul-lI when he gaveaudlenceto Dr. Pathakat the Vatican In 1992 after the Sulabh Founder was honoured

wlth St. Francis Prizefor the Environment

3

OPIMON ~1S “1 readwith greatsympathyyour accountof the situatlon of thescavenger

community and1 congratulate you on thework which you aredoing onIts behalf. 1 am sure your Internoilonol Saint Francis Prlze for theErwlronmentwas rlchly deserved.’

- Mr. BoutrosBoutros - Ghall,Former Secretary-Generalof the UnitedNations

S ‘Sulabh work Is very seminal, It Is humane and educative.’- Dr. Walty N’Dow, Secretary-General,Habitat

• ‘My heartis full andoverfiowing; this fully reflectsmy sentimentaboutSulabh work wbich we will try to replicate In our country.’

His ExceflencyMr. Bernard Soyasa,Sri LankanMinisterfor Scienceand Technology

S m~Sulabh Movement is Indeeda reminder andjolt to conscience.ItIs performing the double task of soclally rehabifitatlng the sufferingsegmentof our society and provldlng healthy and clean municipal life.It deservesall support’.

- Mr. I.K. Gujral, the PrimeMinister of India

• “Sulabh Is a great reform movementof our times’.- Dr. Karan Singh,scholar and diplomat

S The nation should be grateful to Dr. Pathak.’- Mr. KhushwantSingh, columnist & writer

S ‘Dr. Pathakhasdone to scavengerswhat Lincoin had done to blacks inArnerica.

- Dr. Mulk RajAnand, writer of “Untouchable”

Distinguishedvisitors from all over world: A largenumberof distinguished persons, Including political leaders, soclalreformers, academics,experts,diplomats, journalists fl’V andprint media), opinion makers and social activlsts have beenvisiting Suiabh social service centres. These visitors arelargely from the following 56 countries of the world - TheUSA, Nepal, Switzerland, Indonesia, Britain, Argentina,Sweden, Japan, Vietnam, FInland, the Netherlands, Spaln,Myanmar. Thailand. Canada, Jamaica, Mongolla, Ghana,Zimbabwe, Nigerla, Belize, Romania,Tanzania, Egypt, Iraq,Russia, Guyana,Phllipplnes, Malaysia, Kenya, South Korea,Gerinany.France,Sri Lanka, Cambodia,Lithuania, Bhutan,Bangladesh. Mauritius, South Africa, Norway, Australia,Panama, Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Cuba, Botswana,Uzbekistan, Singapore. China, Hong Kong, New ZealandandItaly.

4

CONTENTS

CONTE~ffS

Pages

Origin & Growth 6-11

A great so lal movement 12-18

Areas of major Initiatlve 19-28

A tale of two sanitationmovements- ChadwickandSulabh 29-32

Sulabhlow-cost indigenoussanitatlon tecbnology 33-36

No groundwater pollutlon from 37-43

Sulabh tollets

Areas of research& development 44-50

Magnitude of sanitatlon problem 51-52

Sulabh and sanitatlon 53-56

Sanitationand healthstatus report 57-59

On ecology, turns survival ofhuman civilsatlon 60-63

Human Rlghts - Principle & Practice 64-68

Sulahhpromotes human rlght.s 69-71

For want of toilets battieswere lost 72-75

Towards a cleaner society 76-78

Mars manlagrips ‘tolletless’ world 79

Dr. BindeshwarPathak

- A Proffie 80-93

- ~

SULABH SANITATION MOVEMENT

Sulabh was bom when the nailonalconscience was In paln - Dr. Pcîthak

Origin and Growth

The SulabhSanitation

Movement aims atrestoration of

human rlghts anddignlty to

scavengers. theïrsocial Integration,

and poverlyallevlation on one

hand; prevention ofenvironmentalpollution andpromotion of

ecology, healfhand hygiene, on

the other.

A scavenger at work

Some ages are defined by theirepldemlcs. In 1347. rats and fleas,

stirred up by Tartar traders cutting

caravan routes through Central Mia,brought bubonic plague to Slcily. In thespaceof two years, Black Death whlch

spreadfrom China and killed up to 30mIlIIon people In Europe In the 14W

century. It Is estimatedthat betweenone-

third and one-half of British populatlonwas affected by It in 1348-4~.In 1520

Cortesarmy carried smallpox to Mexico,

wlping out half the native populatlon. In1918. a virulent strain of flu swept

through troops In trenches of France. By

the time It was over, 21 million men andwomen had died — more than thosekilled

In the World War-I.

The post-Independence India hadmany achievements to Its credit but

many soclalasymmetries,distortions andInjustices stili persist that has

undermined our claim to be a clvlllzed

society. One such soclal disparity is thecontinuance of the system of manually

cleaning and carrying human excreta.And, thosewho do It - scavengersarethe poorest among the poor and

untouchables among the untouchables.They are hated even by those whose

excreta they clean and carry physlcally.Scavengerslive far awayfrom village areasIn huis along wlth pigs andotheranimals

- starvlng, boycotted, disadvantaged anddlsenfranchlsed.Againstsoclal Injustices.

much less hurung than this. manyrevolutlons were caused. 1f did not

happenIn India, 11 was becauseof theSulabh SanitattonMovemerttwhlch Is amajor attempt at soclal reform - moreimportant than any launched afterRaxnmuhanRoy.

The Sulabh pan-India sanitatlonmovementhadasmallbeglnnlngIn 1970when It started as a trickie In Arrah

district of Blhar (IndIa) to become amlghty movement, enelosingwithin Itsfold theentire areabetweenKashmlrandKanyakumarl.Falling over the brims, It

hasalso crossednatiorial boundarlestogo over to the South-EastMia, Afrlca.

and Latin America where Sulabhmethodologyand technologyhave beenrecommended for adoptlon by U.N.

agencies, Inciuding UNDP, World Bank,UNICEF andWHO to be finally declaredas the Best Global Pract(ceat Habitat-Ilconference at Istanbul, June 1996. In

recognltlon of whlch the Sulabh

International Soclal ServiceOrganisatlonwasgivenSpecialConsultatlveStatuswlth

the Economicand Sociat Council of theUnitedNations.

The Sulabh Sanitatlon Movementwaslaunched by Dr. Blndeshwar Pathak.

And, In order to realise the objectlvesof

the movement, he founded a non-profItvoluntary non-Governmental sadat

organisatlon. the Sulabh InternationalSociaIServiceOrganisation,which is aself-

sustalnlngattemptto rendersoclalservicewithout havingto depend on grantsand

loans. It does not get any ald or

assistance from any natlonal orInternational agencybecauseIt asksfor

none. It generates Its own resourcesto

meet Its commitments andpromote theIdeals of the movement by setting up ho

own delivery systemandworking Out Itsown methods-

6

SULABH SANITATION MQ~JMIKT.

The SulabhSanitationMovement,of which We SulabhInternationol Soclal

Service Organlsation is the executivewing, was launched to restore humanrights and dignity to half a millionscavengersandabolishWecruelpracticeof manuallycleaningandcarryinghumanexcreta. No human rights violatlon is

greater than Wis.During Gandhijis lifetime, and

even after that, many attemptsweremadeby different organisationsto solvethe problems of scavenging andenvironmental cleanliness but notangibleresultswereachieved.Dr. PathakconceivedWeideaof relieving scavengersfrom We centurles-old inhuman cruelpractice of carrying human waste asheadloadin 1968 while he wasworkingfor the Bihar State Gandhi CentenaryCelebrationCommittee, constituted tocelebrate the birth centenary of theFatherof We Nation MahatmaGandhi.Dr. Pathakwasentrustedwith We taakof studying the problem of the poorspeciallyscavengers.Dr. Pathaktravelledall over the country and lived in thecolonles of scavengerwhere he realisedWe magnitudeof their problemsandhewasso deeplymovedwith their miseriesthat he made restoration of humanrights anddignity as the sole missionofhis life.

The Sulabh Sanitatlon Movementalmsat restorationof humanrights anddignity to scavengers, their socialintegration. and poverty alleviauon onone hand: preventionof environmentalpollution and promotion of ecology,healthandhygiene,on the other.During

these years, Sulabh succeeded inliberating more than 35,000scavengersfrom We demeaningpracticeof physicalcleaning and carrying human waste,rehabilitatingthem in otherprofessions,setungup aboutonemillion scavenging-free pour-flush toilets with bathingfacilities, now being used by over 10million peopledaily, working all over thecountry, employing 50,000 strongdynamic force of engineers,scientists,

social scientists and sanitarians tobecome the largest social serviceorganisationin India andabroad.In fact,there is a rapid deterioratlonof ecologicalbalance all over the world~Populatlonexplosion. urbanisation andindustralisation of towns and villages,destruction of forests, soil erosion andan ever-increasingnumber of motorvehicles are the main causesof thisinbalance. Moreover, in Third WorldcountriesLike India anothermajor causeof environmentalpollution is theabsenceof a hygienic and safe human wastedisposalsystem.

Out of 5.5 billion peopleliving onthe planetearth, about 3 billion arenothaving access to safe and hygienic

sanitation facilities. In India alone, outof 950 million people more than 700million are either using dry latrines,manuallycleanedby scaverigers,or theyuse the surrounding environment foropen-air defecation. Due to non-availâbility of toilets. specially in ruralareas,women cannotdefecatein privacywith dignity. Theygo for opendefecationeither before sunrise or after sunset.which is not aiways safe for them. InIndia, nearlyhalf a milhion children dleeachyearof We diseaseslike dysentery,hookworm or cholera and of all thediseasesdiarrhoea claims the highestnumber of lives in the country. Thisstaggeringmortality rate arises due tolack of safe human waste disposal

Dur}ng these years,Sulabh succeededIn Ilberating morethan 35,000scavengers from thedemeaningpractice of physlcalcleaning andcarrylng humanwaste, rehabilitatingthem In otherprofesslons, sefflngup about onemilhion scavenglng-free pour-fhush toihetswïth bathingfachhitles, now beingused by over 10mihhlon peophe dahhy.

27-JE DAMNAIJON: AscavengerIs physlcallycleaning human excretafront a dry latrin.e

1


Suhabh technohogyhas served twomajor purposes.

Flrsthy, It has foundways to stop the

open-airdefecatlon, whlch Isa common practice

in india, andsecondhy It has

been abhe to pavethe way to end the

sub-human andunhyglenic practhceof manuai handhing

of human wastewhhch Is also a

great human rlghtsquestion.

system. Therefore, sanitary engineers,sociah scientists, planners andadministratorsall over the world werefeverishhy searching for an affordable,safe,scavenging-freeandhygienicsystemof humanwaste disposalwhich could beadoptedon a massscale.

In India out of about 4,800 townsonly 300 aresewer - basedand Wat toopartially. The cost of construdilon andmaintenanceof sewerageis prohibitivein a denselypopuhated countrylike India.In addition, the septic tank has foundfavour with onhy 20% of the urbanpopulaüon.The vent pipes constitute adanger of foul odour and air pollution.MoreovercleaningWe tanksperiodicallyrendersthe needof scavengersimperailve.

On We basis of available materialand researchdone in India andabroad,Dr. Pathakmodifled and developeda low-cost sanitatlon technology of two-pitpourflushtoilet and namedit asSulabhShauchalaya. It requires no manualhandhing of human waste. It is apourflush watersealedhatrine with twoleach pits. It has a specially designedpan with a steep slope, a trap and awater seal. The spaceof about two sq.metreswould suffice for its construction.The water-sealpreventsfoul gasesfromleakingoutof We pit. Thiseconomytoiletrequires only two hitres of water forflushing insteadof 10-15 ltrs neededinthe conventional system. Thus, theenormousquantity of water, which is ascarcecommodity, is saved.The biggestadvantageof the Sulabhtoilet systemisWe fact that it doesnot requlreservlcesof scavengersand It also saves theenvironment from pollution. It is thesafest low-cost on-site human wastedisposalsystem.The Sulabhtechnologyhasbeen found to be a viable alternativeto sewerageandseptictanksystems.Thistechnologyhasbeenrecornmendedby theUNDP (World Bank), UNICEF, WHO.HABITAT and other agenciesfor adoptionin South East Asia, Mrica and LatinArnerica. Queries are received from allover the world on the technical know-

how involved.Moreoverthis technologyhasserved

two major purposes in India. Firstly, ithas found ways to stop the open-airdefecation,which is a common practiceIn India, and secondlyit has beenableto pave the way to end We sub-humanand unhygienic practice of manualhandhing of human wastewbich is alsoa great human rights question. Thetechniqueof constructionof Sulabhhow-cost sanitationtoilets is simple enoughand even an ordinary mason canconstruct it easily. The pans and trapsmay be of ceramic. fibre glass, PVC,HDPE,cementor mosaic.Variousmodelsof Suhabh toilets have been designed tosuit usersof different econorniclevel boWfor rurahandurbanareas.The leachpitscan be rectangular,circular or squarein

shape depending upon the spaceavailability. The cost of thesetoiletsranges betweenRs. 600 (or US $ 20) toRs. 5000 (or US $ 170). Nearly 700,000dry latrines have been converted intoSulabh toilets by the SulabhInternational.

Z�RQSUB$IDY§4t4~IÔRQN.REG1M~4~

In 1974, Dr. Pathak introduced thesystemof operating and maintaining“~tzy-and-Use”community toihets wiW bathing,washing and urinal facihilles with roundthe clock attendant’s service andavailability of water andelectricity.Soap

A SOLUIION: The view of a two-pitpowflush Sulabh toilet

8

SULABH SAN1TATION MOVEMENT

powder is supphiedto usersfor washinghands. Users have to pay a nominalcharge; the children, disabled personsand thosewho cannotafford to pay arenot charged.UrI,nal use is free. It is anunique example of communityparticlpation and zero subsidy. ThesetoIlet complexesare used by a largefloating population.Shumandpavementdwehlers, rickshaw pulhers, physicahlyhandicapped. the weaker sections ofsociety,commutersand the touristsarebenefited by these facihities. Medicalservice by qualifled doctors are alsoprovidedat somecomplexes.The Suhabhtoilet comphexeshave, therefore, beenaccepted by the people and theauthoritiesfor their cleanlinessandgoedmanagement.

After estahlishIngneat and cleantoilet complexes and hiberatingscavengers,Sulabhhassetup anumberof vocational training institutesWroughout the countrywherehiberatedscavengers,Weir sonsanddaughtersandthe oWer weakersectionsof societyaregiven training in variousvocallons likecomputer technohogy, typing andshorthand,electrical trade, woodcraft,leathercraft,dieselandpetrolengineering,cuttlng and tailoring, cane furnituremaking. masonry work, motor drivingetc. The purposeof providing them thistraining is to give Wem new meansoflivehihood, alleviate poverty and bringthem mb We mainstreamof society.

Sulabh has set up an Enghish-Medium School in Delhi for children ofthe poor. Half the numberof childrenare from scavengerfamilles andtheotherhalf from others. This homogenouscompositionensuresthat there is nodiscrimination. Free education isImpartedto theunderprivilegedchildren.Theyareprovidedfree textbooks,schooluniforms, mid-day meals and busservices.The childrenare also providedwith excellentplaygroundfacilities insideWe school premisesfor their overallgrowth.The schoohingis vocation basedfrom IV standardonwards,with trainingfacihities in typewriting, computerhandlingandoffice management.so thatemploymentmay not becomea problem

later.

~ATHTUDINALCHANGE

Dr. Pathak continues bis relentlesscrusadefor liberating and rehabilitatingscavengersandotherweakersectionsofsocietybut the stigma of untouchabilityremains deep-rooted.A programmeforremoval of this social curse has beeninitiated. In 1988, Dr. Pathak, theFounderof SulabhSanitationMovement,led 100 scavengersalongwith VedicBrahmins to the famous Nathdwaratemple in Rajasthan. In the temple,everybodyperformedpujaandtook ‘pmsad’

and meals together. Similarly, on thebirth anniversaryof greatsocial reformer,Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a seminar andcommunity lunch was organisedin thepremisesof SulabhInternationalSocialServiceOrganisation,Delhi, wherepeopleof all castesand creedsexchangedviewsand took mealstogether.On October2.1990 Sulabh organiseda massive rallystarting from the scavengerscolony,NewDelhi, and alongwith scavengersandothers. Everybody took a vow at thenational memorial of MahatmaGandhito abohishscavengingby the turn of thecentury.

In 1993, Sulabh embarked on anoble programmeof sociahupgradation

Suiabh has sef upan Engiish-MediumSchool in New Delhifor chiidren of thepoor. Half thenumber of chiidrenare from scavengerfamihies and theother half fromothers. Thishomogenouscompositlon ensuresthat there Is nodiscrlmination. Freeeducation IsImparfed to theunderprhviiegedchiidren. They areprovided freetextbooks, schooluniforms, mId-daymeais and busservlces.

Girls being trained In beauticiancourse

- .9


Human excreta-basedbiogas is also used

for cooking

and integrationof four hundredthousandscavenger famihies. Under thisprogramme,Dr. Pathakhasmadeanopenappealto We elite of society to havesocialinteractionwith at leestonesuchfamilyto enablethem to lead adignifled life asequals in the society. So far 5,000scavengerfamihies have been sociahlyupgradedandbroughtin the mainstreamof the society. Similar programmesareenvisagedIn a phasedmannerthroughoutthe country for the removal ofuntouchabihityandrestoratlonof humanrights anddignity to thosewho havebeendeprivedof thesefor generations.

The Suhabh International SocialService Organisationhas devehopeduseof biogas produced by recyching the

human waste at community toiletcomplexes.It is an uniqueexperimentinWe use of how-cost non-conventionalsourcesof energy. The bio-gas, thusproduced,is utilized fordifferentpurposes

such as cooking, lightJngmantlehamps,heating water, warming bodies in Wecold chimate and generating ehectricity.An entire stretch of Gandhi Maidansituatedin Patnacity andthe main busstand at Ranchi (Bihar) are now hit bythe ehectricity generatedfrom Suhabhbiogasplants.This organisationhasalsodevehoped bio-fertihizer from humanwaste. Through a simple process;it isconvertedInto odourlessgranuleswhlchcanbe usedto enhanceWe productivityof We soil. Sulabh volunteers go todifferent rurah and urbanareasand tryto inculcate a sense of sanitaryawareness among the massespopuharisingtheuseof non-conventional

sourcesof energylike smokelessstoves,biogasphantsand solarenergyetc. Thisrellevesthevillagersand housewivesfromthe trouble of bringing firewood forcooking purposes,smokein the kitchenand also helps to curb deforestation,thereby preservingthe naturah resourcesand the envlroninent.Schoolchlldrenareperiodically taken round Suhabhcomphexesalongwith teachersto createsanitaryawareness.

-~TOSRQWTH

Sulabh has devehopedan innovativeapproachfor integratedruraldevelopmentand poverty alheviation. It has initiateda massiveprogrammeto train two rurahyouths from each rural local body tofunction aschangeagents.Theseagentsare trained in multi disciphmnarydevehopmental activities such asconstructionof Sulabhtoilets, repairandmaintenance of hand pumps,constructionof smokehessstoves,primaryheahW care senricesand sociahforestryetc. SO Wat they mayearn Weirhiving byremaining in vilhages. These trainedpersonswork ascatalygicagentsto serveas a link betweenthe governmentand

the community. This programme hasgeneratedemployment to rural youWs.So far nearly 35.000youths havebeentrained in water supphy,sanitatlonandother allied work and providedemployment.Thus, about two hundredthousand personshave been ehevatedabove the poverty-hine.The uniquenessof Sulabhfles in We fact Wat a senseofdiscipline, dutyanddedicailon work andall the humanbelngsis incuhcatedin allits workersbywayof compuhsorymorningprayers in all the branches of theorganisation throughout the country.Mter the prayer meetings,the workersareencouragedto implement the various

developmentalprogrammesto the bestof their abihities.

For the benefit of the masses,

$U1.ABH SAN1TATION MOVEMENT

Sulabh International Sdi~ialServiceOrganisationhas publIshedIitenture onIhe Sulabh Sanitation Movement in allthe 15 major languagesofthe country.Dr. Pathakhashlmseifwrlttenanumberof booksprominent amongWem are:

1. Road to Freedorzt

2. A Studyof Directed Chnnge;3 A Stmple Idea that Worked

And4. Eradicattonof Scauengtngand

Erwfron-rtentalScnito.tionin India

Dr. Pathak also - gives personalattentionto the problemsoîthe masses.Moreover,he periodlcallyholdsmeetingswith senior workers of his organisationinvolving dlscussionson variol4s pohiciesfor the upllftment of the poor anddowntrodden.He tateskeatinterest in

developmentalactivities andvlsits varioussites to monitor the impiementationofdifferent schemesunder the SuhabhSanitation Movement.

Suhabh International .Jias laidspecial emphasison technicai..researchand development. Techno-economicIssuesrelatingto how-costsanitationandbio-technologyarestudie4iOmakethemmorecost effectiveandei~Ieat.Pollutlonaspectaof on-site sanita~nsystemandthe preventivemeasures~ also studied.InvestigationSare goingalbr optimumutihisatlon to recyche th~Werwastessuch as aquatic and terrttrlah weeds,agricultural wastes, cerlain organicindustriahwastesetc. for pr~Iucingbio-

energy. Many R&D projects have beentaken up In collaboration with varlous-

national, and international agencies.Sulabhhasalsoa bie-upwiW We BritishCouncil to train teachers - oneüvironmentah and sanitationprogrammes.And the teacherswill flnahlytransfer Wis knowledgeto studentstoensure sanitation and environmentalprotection.The nobleactivities of SulabhInternationalSocial ServiceOrganisationhavedrawri world wide attention.It wouldnot be out of the place to mentionhere

Wat Bharat Ratna,late Mr. J.R.D. Tatawas so impressedwith We activities of

this organisation that he himself notonly sponsoreda new Sulabh toiletcomplex in Bombay but proudhy

inauguratedthe same.Sulabh activitles are permanenthy

recordedin various citationsandmediareports,bothat homeandabroad.Manyeminentpersonsfrom all over theworldhave visited its various actlvities andrecordedtheir appreciation.Dr. Pathakhas beeninvited by differentcountriestoseekhis guidanceon low-costsanitation.Wiiat startedasa small voluntary groupof five personshas snowballed into amighty movementwith morethan 35,000personsworking round We clockaB overIndia to promote human rights.environmentahsanitatlon,personalandcommunity hygiene, healthcareand anew social order by ahhevtatingpovertyand abohishingglaring inequahity. And.in so dolng the Suhabh SanltationMovement is well set to build a societybasedon equahtyand fratemity. •

Late Mr. J.R.D. Tata ina Sulabh toilet, Mumbai.

11

Books authored by Dr. Pathak

CONCEPT & COMPARISÔN

Ideas move the mountain- Newton

A great social movement

Every thoughtsystem is a response

to a situation. KarlMarx protested

against the crueltyof the l8th century;

Keynes provlded asoiution to the

Depression of thethirfles; Gandhi

symboilsed anti-coloniallsm; Nehrustood for iiberaiism

and Suiabh is aprotest movement

launched to aboiishscavenging and

estabiish adiscrimination-ftee

system.

T he SuhabhMovementwaslaunchedIn March 1970 in Patna, Bihar,

India, by an action sociologist, Dr.Bindeshwar Pathak,who combined inhimself the traits of an engineer,academic.phannerand social activist -

all blended into a happy harmony toproduce a multi-faceted personality,dynamicanddaring, to becomeaheadingsocial reformer of our time. To beginwith, the first meeting was held in ahut attendedby only sevenpersons,‘The

Pioneers,who laid out We broadouthineof policies,andphilosophyof themission.However, they could never foreseethatWesmallone-timeeffort at socialservicewill becomeapan-Indiamovement,nowset to cross the national andinternationalboundaries.

To be true, nobodycould know, noteventhe First Seven,Wat a trlckle willbecomeatorrent to convulsethe sedateand traditional Indian society,and Watthe Sulabh Movement will becomeaphenomenonwith closeto 35,000socialvolunteersworking round-the-chocktopromoteits objectives.Who knowswhatthe future hohds for us. Gandhiji onlywanteda seat in an all-White railwaycompartmentin SouWMrica andhe wasnot given. The British lost the Indianempire. Napoleonjust asked24 francsfrom his girhfriend, Disrae, to buyuniforms andwith Wathe wentto Parisfrom Corsica and captured We entireEurope.Uncoln’s life’s dreamwasto travelfrom his log cabin in Kentuckyto walkalongriver PotomacIn Washingtonwherehe finally hived anddied as Presidentofthe United States. Newton was a shyindoor man,butwhenhe decidedto sitout in his orchard, he saw We applefall. And, theworld wasnever We sameagain.

Bihar has been a land of greatleaders,emperors,socialreformers,saints

and seers.Lord Mahavira, ChandraguptaMaurya, SamratAshoka, Guru GovindSingh, Dr. RajendraPrasad,and AryaBhatt werebom in Bihar. Lord GautamBuddhaattainedNirvanain Bihar. Whichhas also been We place where manyreligious.socialandagrarianmovementsstarted. Mahatma Gandhi launchedWefirst clvii disobediancemovementfromCham~Taran,(Bihar). Earlier in MiddieAges, and in We last centin-y. therehadbeen other movementsin We country,inciudlng Jainlsm, Brahmo Samaj andArya Samaj. All these were protestmovementslaunchedto changethe socialorder. The Sulabh Movement is also aprotestmovement,seekinga changeinsodaldispensationwithout violenceandbloodshed.The place of the genesisoftheSulabhMovementbasits atmosphericadvantage,much of which is refiectedin the purity of its thought andphllosophy,so alsoin aweil-definedprofileof the social changethat It seeks tobring abouL

lAn this century, many socialmovementswerehaunchedandmanymoredied stillborn. In 1951-52, for instance,Werewasabattie-cry; Tlller of the frmndis the owner of the land. And that upsetthe age-old conceptof rights over land.

The impact of thi& change on societywas heard all over We country, theloudestin theTehenganaregionof AndhraFradeshwhereWedlsposessedpeasantsrosein revolt. TheArmy was calledin to

control the situation.The forcible seizureof land and propertybecameWe sourceof vlolence.The Naxalitemovement,andits many political wings, were themanifestations.But, the problem wasnot solved; not evenlaw could do that.Hence. Vinoba Bhave, a disciple ofGandhiji, satd1f We law could not solve

the problems nor viohence, people’sparticipationwasthe only way out. And.

12

CONCEPT & COMPARISON

he launched the Bhoodan Movementwhich had great social impact.

The Bhoodan Movementwas itself

a product of the Gandhi’s Snrvocktya(uplift of all) movementlaunchedin theearly thirties. Within Sarvodaya,wasyetanothermovement,Antodya,uplift of thepoorestamongthe poor. Quiteat a timewhenthe BhoodanMovementwasIn fullswing. therewasyet anotherrevolt. calledBerkeleyMovemenL (Berkeley is one ofthe seven campuses of CaliforniaUniversltyin the US) wherestudentsroseIn revolt. not di~mandingjob or food;they had both. fhey wanteda shareinpower. This movementspreadall overEurope, resulting in a changein powerstructure and revlsion of age-limit onvoting.

Every thoughtsystemIs aresponseto a situation. In fact, every new Ideaisa product of its own time and place: Itcannotbe seenapart from the world Itseeksto InterpreLAnd, theworld changes,so do Ideas. Karl Marx reacted to thecruelty of the Industrial Age: JohnMaynardKeyries found a responseto theDepressionof the thirties; Nebru wasthe productof thellberai thoughtsystemandGaTidhirepresentedthepost-colonlalageafter the endof theWorld War-IJ In1945. In the early forties, nobodycouldteach at Harvard without being aKenysian and in the late sixties, noKenysianwas aflowed to enterHarvard.

Aristotle and Chanakya werecontemporaries:while Aristotie talkedabout the economics of politics inEuropean context, Chanakya talkedabout ethics of economics in hisArthsastra in Indian context. Both theideaswereresponseto dffl’ering situations.The Sulabh Movement cannot be anexception.

Every great event has Itsgeographicalepicentre. The AmericanRevolutlon(1776)hadIndependenceHallin Philadelphia, the French Revolution(1789)startedfrom the Stateprisonhouseof Place de la Bastille; the Revolution of1848wassparkedoff in theLuxembourg

Palace where President Louis Blancexamined Communist Manifesto,launched by Karl Marx and FriedrichEngles in London a y~arbefore. This

movementtoppiedEmperorLouisPhllIppeof France,PrinceMatternlch of Austriaand almosttotally destroyedthe feudalsystem and ancien re~lmein Europe,paving thewayfor llberallsm of the 20thcentury. Strangely enough, theCommunistMovementwas launchedinthe shop of a German tailor. WilhelmWeitling, who set up a Society of theJust. later re-namedby Marx as theCommunistLeague.In the traditlon ofgreateventsstarting from small places,the SulabhMovementalso beganfrom adusty, time-beatentown QfArrah in Bihar

where the first two-pit pourflush toiletwas set up to later become a greatmovement.

India is the sixth largest country

in the world, spreadover an areaof 4.2million sq.km., enclosingwithin its foldclose to a billion peopleto beccimethesecondmostpopulouscountrynext onlyto China. The cultural, llnguistic, (15major languages),geographicalandethrilcdiversities have made It the mostcolourful tapestrywoven togetherover5,000 years of its history marked bymigration. assimilation, confifct andfusion. Karl Marx has said in his DasCapitaL’ “It is amazinghow a countiy,~invadedsomanytlmesIn Its longhistoryand underthe control of allenrulersforhundredsof years, could maintain itsidentity. II is all becauseöf the richnessof its culturewhich is roöted in villagesthat did not changewlth the changeInrulers anddictators”. It is alsobec~useof this diversity that all religions. bomin India, talked of universalbrotherhoodand uriity of human species;Lhey didnot addressto any particular group or -

race. It may be Buddhlsm,Jainlsm orany other rellglon. Hinduism. for thatpurpose,is not a religion: It is a pan-India culturewhlch representstheentiremosaic of this colourful assembly ofreligions andraces.Max Muller, who was

The society wascreated by ourwants and thegovernment by ourwlckedness. Thevoiuntaryorganisation is,however, a differentstory. It Is neither ourwant, norwickedness; if is allabout workingtogether to changesoclal dispensatlonand beilefs.

CONCEPT & COMPAR1SON

India is the sixlhlargest country Inthe world with a

population close toa billion people,

struggling toïmprove things. But,many problems stili

remain unsolved,sanitatlon and

social discriminatlonare the ones.

first to translatethe Vedasinto German

language,said,‘The more1 try to unravelthe mystery of India. the deeper Itbecomes”.So amazlngIs the country,sowonderful its peopleandtheir culture.

Working within these historlcallegaciesand cultural parameters,Indiahasmadeprogress.speciallyafter 1947,in the fields of science, technology,defencecapabihtyand food productionIt was a caseof “begging bowl” turningInto “breadbasket”;aweakandfamished

nation flying into spaceand producingthe finest computerchips to better thebest in the world. To say there is,however. not to suggestthat we havesolvedall problems~far from It. RegionalImbalances, Illiteracy, poverty andstructuraldistortionscontinueto affiictpeople. Sanitatlon and socialdIscrlmination,speclallyuntouchablilty,are damaging the soclal cohesiveness.Sulabhhasalso taken up theseissues.besldes producing energy from non-conventional sources, health, humanresourcedevelopmentand technicalresearchand training.

Sanitation is a broad term thatinciudeswatersupply,disposalof human

waste, waste water and solid waste,control of vectorsof dlseases,domesticand personalhygiene, food sanltation,housingetc. Human excretais thecauseof manyenteric dlseasessuch ascholera,dysentery.typhoid. paratyphoid,lnfectioushepatitis, hookworm, dIarrhoea etc.Studies reveal that over 50 infectionscanbe trarisferredfrom adiseasedperson

to a healthy one by varlous direct orindirect routesfrom excreta andcausenearly 80% slcknessin India. HenceinIndia. sanitation programmeprimarilyrefersto safe disposalof humanexcretaand implies the provision of sanitarytoilet facilities to the community.

The Sulabh Movementalso seeksto preventenvironmentalpollution. Therapid deterlorationof ecologicalbalance,population explosion, urbanisation,industrialisation,destructionof forests,soli erosionandan ever-increaslngnurnber

of motör vehiclesare the main causesofthis Imbalance. In the Third Worldcountries.includingIndia. anothermajor

cause of environmentalpollutlon is theabsenceof a hyglenic and safe humanwastedisposalsystem.

Due to cultural background.mosthouseholds in India have no toilets.During the Puranlc time, Indlans wereadvisednot to havetoilets In the house:It was suggestedthat people shoulddefecatequite away from the habitat.Although Chanakya. chief adviser toEmperor Chandragupta.had suggestedthat each house should have kltchen,bath anda toilet. but his advicedid notsucceedover the prevailing beliefs andfaith No wonder,the sanitatlonsituatlonin India even today continues to bealarming. At present.about 102 millionhousehoidsIn ruralareasand lIve millionIn urban areas have no toilets.

Consequently.out of the900 mIllion totalpopulation. 700 million Indlans (wh1c~iis about the total populatlori of EuropeandLatin America)defecateIn the open.causing environmentalpollution. 1111h,insanitationandmany health problems.About half a million chlldren(out of 2.5inilhion of such deathsIn th~world) dleIn Jndia of dehydration. diarrhoeaandother sanitation—relateddiseases.TheSanitationscenarioof thecountry at thetime of the blrth of this movementwasappahling. V.S. Naipaul. the Britishnov~list,in his famousbook. An Area ofbarkness.hasmadeelaboraterefereneesto the practice of open defecation, the

unsighily nakedn~ssand humillation.speciallyof womenwho squatalongroads.rallway llnes and In public places topresentasickeningspectacleof adecaylngsociety. The Sulabh Movement was ci

responseto this situatlon.Sanitation in other countries.

specially in the last century when theIndustrial Revolution was taking placeIn the West, has been entirely a civicproblem.But. in India, It involved soclaldiscrimlnation also. Morethan 10 milllonhousehoidsIn urbanand rural areasof

14


Lhe countryhavebucket latrines,cleanedby asectionof peoplecalled,seaverzgers,

who had the status of untouchablesbeforeindependence.It is amazingthatthe peoplewho kept houses,andcitiesclean were madeto suffer a variety ofindignitiesunheardof sincethe daysofslaveryin Rome.Thesescavengersweremadeto live outsidethevillage andforcedto wearbeilsaroundtheneckto announcetheir coming, or stamp the ground tokeepthepeopleawayfrom their shadow.They werenot ~‘llowed to wearslippers,nor could they tat freshfood; only staleleft-over crumbscoliected from houseswere eatenby them. Scavengerscouldnot use vehicles; they walked long

distancesin scantclothes.They alwayslived in small stinking huts along withpigs where fire would ravage in the

summer.In which casethey would liveunder the tree. Nothing like this washeard in any civilised society. Afterindependence.things havechangedforscavengersandtheyaremadeequalbeforethe law. but they continueto he unequalin education.living conditions and inmany otherways.About 700.000of themstill physically clean and carry humanexcretaonly to suffer social degradationwhich their forefathers did beforeindependence. --

Sulabh is an organised, well-sirticlured institutional arrangementtoabolishscavenging,restorehumanrightsto scavengersandcreateanewsanitationorder It has a viable nationally andInternationallyrecognisedtechnologyandmethodologyto achieve its objectives.Technologyhas alwaysbeena lever ofchange.Thewheels.spinning-jennyandcomputer chips, among many others,changcdlifestyle. perceptionand socialstructuresof the time more than any

ihuught systemdid before. Technologyushered in the Industrial Revolution,dernolishedCommunistempire,changedgiobal relations.destroyedgeographicalboundaries,andwar strategiesto producea new global information society whenwhat is happeningat one end affects

the peopleliving at the otherend of theworld. Hence,when Dr, Pathakthoughtof launchingamovementfii abo]ishopen-air defecation and scavenging, hedeveloped an indigenous, culturaflyacceptablelow-costsanitatlontcehnology,first. Sulabhalso seeksto abolish thisinhuman and cruel practice forever byuse of this scavenging-freetechnology.Sulabhaims at providing toilet in eachhouse and public toilets and bathfacilities for the floating population incities and other places of congregation.It seeksto free scavengersfrom thissuhhumanpracticeand resettiethem inotherprofessionsafter training.And, givequality education to their sons anddaughtersso that they can compete forJobsin openmarketanti live agood life,fully acceptableandrespectedby Joiningthe mainstreamof society.

Sanitationhasmany linkageswlthheaith,or they are complementarywiLheach other. Hence, Sulabh has taken upmassiveheaithprogrammesthat lnclude

primary healthcane,populationcontrol,preventionof disease.like AIDS, throughawareness programnies and otherpreventive and curative measdres.TheSulabh toilet complexes have beendevelopedinto multi-purposecentresofcommunitysenrlcewEilch~provldefacifitieslike bathing, washing çlothes, safedrinking water, first-ald service andtelephone.Thesetoilet blocks also workascentresto organisetraining andothercormnunity programmesamong slum-dweuers.Sulabhhas a wide accesstocommunity becauseabout ten millionpeopleuseSulabhtoilet facilitieseveryday.

The soclai intervention b~ïactionsociologistsproduceschangewhich findsmanifestationIn Sulabhstrateglesthatcombine the processof helping and

learning through soclal action. Sulabhrepresentsconscious efforts to inducesystemic changeleading to the uplift ofthepoor. Its technologyputsa premiumcm smallnessandself-sufficiency.In factits simplicity and smaflnessmake itappropriate to meetthe local needs.The

Sulabh represents aparadlgm shift; Inthat ft usestechnology toIaunch amovement whlchhad never beenthe case before.Those who Inventedtechnologleslaunched nomovement andthose wholaunchedmovementsInvented notechnology Inknown history.

15


technology is appropriate againsteconomic and social background. Itsrelevancegoesbeyond the boundarlesofstatesandreglons.The Sulabh technologirof excretadisposal,therefore.representsa choice between modern growth andtraditlonal stagnation.Borrowedconceptsand imported methodologycan hardlybe a substitutefor appropriatetechnology.Sulabh also representsan investmentin man. The change that is beingwitnessed in the ifeld of sanitatlon andupliftment of the downtrodden has notbeen forced from above. Dr. Patlrnkprovldesalternatives,leavingthe targetgroup to make the right choice. TheInitlative for adoption comesfrom withln.

To be true, Sulabh is a conceptwhich envisages a change In soclaldispensatlon and humanrelatlonships.Sir JaxnesChedwick (1891-1974)was alawyer by profession who wrote acomprehenslve report in London (TheGreatSanitationReport)that highlightedthegrim sanitationsituatlonin England.His report produced a great impact onthe sanitatlon situation in the latterhalf of the last century. The SulabhMovement hasgone beyond sanitatlon,It has a strongconceptualunderpinningencompassing social and culturalrevolutions for transforming the soclalstructure of India. The shift in theuniversally repilcable paradigm fromscavenging - based sanitation toscavenging-freetwo-pit affordablesystemof sariltationIs a revolutlon, alsobecause

too, It is sharptransitlori from one paradlgmto anothersupportedby anewtechnology.For instance,pastoral civilisatlon endedwlth the Inverition of the wheels, atechnologydevelopedby Assyrlans.andthe Industrial Revolution beganwlth theinvention of spinning-jenny. Moderncivillsation Is markedby computerchips(cyberage).History will suggestthat theroad to social revolutionis extraordlnarilyarduousand Ihere has alwaysbeen atechnology behind It. Einstein says;“Science and technology,not tears andrhetorlcs,will changesocietyandabolish

poverty”.The Sulabh Movement is dialectic

(thesis. anti-thesis and synthesis) innature. Marx said under his famousdlalecticalmntertaUsmthat polltlcal andhistorical eventshappendueto conflictof soclalforces causedby man’s materialneeds.Thepractlceof scavenglngIn Indiais a product of thousands of years ofhlstoiy andIt continuedbecauseof manysoclal contradictions (untouchability,castesystemetc.) and Lhis cruel systemexpandedto meet the man’s “material”needsto clean tollets in city centres.Marx soughtto correct soclaldistortionsby abolishing Capitalism and“exproprlatlng the expropriators’ whilesocial reformers sought to achieve thistl-irough education,campaign, law andpersuasion. Qulte a piece with thishallowed traditlon, Sulabh reformsproceededIn practicalandachievableways,step by step,wrapped up-In an attractivepackagecomprlsingtechnology,liberatlonof scavengers. thelr training andeducation,rehabilitation and, flna]ly,theirsoclalupgradation when the last amongscavengerswill Join the mainstreamofsoclal and natlonal life.

The Sulabh Movement Is all-inclusive: In that It has attractedendurlng groups of adherents.away fromthe competing practices. And, It wassufflclently open-endedto also includesocial and legal reforms. populatloncontrol. education. and many otherrelated Issuesfor the re-definedgroupsof Sulabh practitloners who seekto solveproblems. The change in the previouspattern of “non-solutlon’ to anotherpatternof flncllng “solutlon-based’ soclal reformis called Sulabhparadllgmwhich Is enacceptedmodel that can be replicated.In Eng~IshGrammar. for instance,theverbs “go, went, gone” are paradigms

because they can be reproduced in avariety of ways. conjugatlng a langenumberof other words andphrases.Inthis standardapplication,theparadlgmsfunction by permitting the replicationof examples. Sulabh has paradigms

Soclal Interventlonby action

sociologlstsproduces change,

much of whlch ismanifest in Suiabhmethodology that

presupposesextenslve use of

affordable,Indigenous and

appropriatetechnologies, public

awareness andconsclous cholce.

Borrowed concepts,like borrowed

clothes, don’t fit. ItIs a wasteful

exercise and, aftlmes, laughable

16

AREAS OF WORK.

Areas of major initiative

An ounce of work Is better thantonnes of promlses - Chinese proverb

T he SulabhInternationalSoclalServiceOrganisatlort is the leadingnon-profit

outfit, working to promotesanltationandpreventenvlronmentalpollutlon which are

critical components to a healthy andproductivesociety.Thegrowlngpopulationand the conseqitent strain on shrlnldngresourceshaveproducedslums,violence,houselessnessandhumanmiserieswhichareevidentamongthe peopleliving on the

edge.The growing urbanisationhas alsoproduced serious shortagesof houses,

forcing people to live in shanty colonieswithout toilet facilities. Begtnningfrom asmall town in Bihar (a State in India),Sulabh now works virtually all over thecountrywlth thehelp of a largework forceof over 35,000 committed volunteersbelonging to various disciplines likeadministrators,firiancial and managementexperts,engineers,archltects,sociologists.

scientists, media persons etc. It hasInfi-astructurein 22 statesandtwo unionterritorles.

It Is now an established fact thatmostdiseasesarecausedby badsanitatlon.People build houses but not toilets,indicatlng skewedattitudinal and cultural

preferences.Official agenciesare sinners,no less.‘fhey alsodontgive sufficientstresson sanitatlon, most specially toilet

facilities, while building communityhouses.ThesnagIn sanitatlonprogrammesis also technological.The seweragesystemis very costly and not sustainable.ThereIs not enoughwater in rivers to flush outcity effiuents,nor enoughmoney to set upsewagetreatmentplants.EvenFrancehasbeenableto treatonly40%of Parissewage;

the remalningwaste fiows into the Seinriver, untreated.

The Sulabh humanwaste disposal

system Is a radical departurefrom the

seweragesystem and that makes Iteminently suitable for use in bothindividual andclusterhouses.This novelsanitationsystemis afrontiertechnologywhlchwill keepourhabitatcentresclean

and people healthy.As a matterof fact,theadventof SulabhInternationalin thefleld of sanltationin 1970 gave a newtuit to the sanitatlon movement byevolving low-cost pourflush water-sealtoilet with two pits for on-site disposalof human waste as an alternatlve tobucket latrines, thus also abolishingmanual handling of human waste. The

organisation has also been able toImprove the environmental sanitationand communityhealthand hygiene.

~_SULA8HT~CHNOLOGY

The Sulabh toilet system is a cost-effectiveand mestapproprlatetechnologyoption. It needsmuch less water (onlytwo llui-es) than is needed(10 litres) for

flushing out the conventional waterclosets(WC). And, thus, conserveswaterwhlch Is scarce in most developlngcountries.Sewerageand septic tanks arevery expensive whlch the developingcountriescannotafford. The tolilets builton Sulabh technologyhavea largevarletyof designsto suit different incornelevels

topographical terrai~s and localresources.It Is econornically and socio-culturally acceptableto the people. It Isfree from foul odour and can be built byindigenouslyavallablemateriais.It Is easyto build and easyto maintain. With highpotential of upgradation, It can also beconnected to sewers easlly whenintroducedin the area. It doesnot needthe servtces of scavengers - makesavailablehigh quality manureand soil

Suiabh has so farconstructed andconverted over700,000 Sulabhhousehoid toiletsand 3,154 publictoilets, now beingused by 10 mililonpeople every day.Over 37,500scavengers havebeen Ilberatedfrom the task ofmanual scavengingand 3,500 wardsand familymembers of theIlberatedscavengers havebeen givenvocatlonal training.

AREAS OF WORK

This toilet designhas been wldely

accepted by thepeopie because It

Is low-cost; Itrequlres only twolitres of water tofiush. It does not

require the servlcesof scavenger nor

does It pollute air; Itprovides manure on

the spot, can becleaned and easiiy

maintained byhouse-owners

themselves.

conditioner.

IMPACT AND SPREAD

Sulabh has so far constructed andconvertedover700,000Sulabhhousehold

toiletsand3,154public tollets, now beingusedby 10 million peopleevery day. Over37,500 scavengers have been liberatedfrom the taskof manualscavenglngand

3,500 wards and family membersof theliberated scavengers have been givenvocationaltraining.As many as240 townshave beenmade scavenging-free.Therehas been a dramatic change in thephysical envlronment of the townswherethe Sulabh systemis used. In the townswhich have beccime scavenging free, alldry (or bucket) householdprivieshavebeenconvertedinto the newtwin-pit pourflushSulabh toilets. The houseswhich had nolatrine too have been provided withsanitarytollets and for thosewho couldnot affordor spacewasaconstraint,wellmanaged community toilets wereprosrided. Thus, the dumping of freshpathogenicnight-solihad stopped,leadingto the improvement in the physicalenvironment.

SELF-SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM

Sulabh’s innovativeness is bestdemonstratedin the public toilet systemoperatedon the pay-and-usebasiswhichis self-sustaining.Along with publictoilets,Sulabhprovidesbathlngwashing

and urinal facilitles with separatecompartments for menand women. Somemore ajnenlties like cloakroom, publictelephone.primary healthcare,drinkingwater, school for children in slums etc.have also been provided at someplaces.The user-chargeis nominal: thedisabled,children and those who cannot pay areallowed to use the facility free. The

authorities, therefore, do not have toprovide funds for themaintenanceof thepublic conveniencesfor a perlod upto 30

years which is an unique example ofcommunity participation.. In addition,these toilet complexes have provideddignity and safety by providing facilitiesfor defecation and bathing in privacy,speciallyfor women who are the greatestbeneficiarles.Sulabh plays the role of acatalystbetweenand amonggovernment,local authorities and the users ofcommunity facilities.

The obJecttves of Sulabh SartitationMovemeniare:• To restorehumanrlghts anddlgnlty

to scavengers

Liberation - of scavengers fromunheaithyand subhuman occupatlonof manual handling of excretabyconverungbucketprivies toto SulabhShauchalayas(pourflush toilets withtwo pits for on-site disposalof humanwaste).Get rehabilitatedthe rellevedscavengerand their wards in other

occupationwafter training. To helpin social upgradation of scavengersand their promotion as equals insociety. Set up Information andemploymentexchangecentresandhelp

scavéngersget employmenteither ingovernment or non-governmentalorganlsations.Open Englisli-mediumschoolsto provide educationamongsons and daughters of scavengersalong with others andhelp scavengersbulld their housesaway from slumsso that they can be taken out fromthe stinking environment.

• Prevention of environmentalpoUution:Sulabh seeksto educatepeople notto defecatein the open in. lanes,byelanes,parks, streets.by the sideof roadsof raliway tracksetc. Motivatepeopleto getbucket privlesconvertedinto Sulabh Shauchalayas and tohavetoilet facility in housesprovide

comihunity toilet with bathing.washing,and urinal facilities on the

- pay-and-usebasis in slums,and for

20


becauseIt (Sulabh model) can be replicatedin the fields of sanitation, ernrironmentprotection, healthcare. educatlon, humanexcreta-basedbiogasproduction and soforth. A paradlgm can be related todifferent conditions In different socletlesfacing the sameproblems like sanitatlon,healthcare etc. Sulabh is also called arevolution In the field of sanitationbecauseit clearly marksadeparturefromthe currentpractices,combiningin Itselfmore than cleaning toilets and streets.

The transfcrmationof paradlgmsinphysical and scial sciencesand theirsuccessivetransition from oneparadigmto anotherby revolutlon (or movement)Is the normal developmentin all maturesciences.ForInstance,today’s textbooksof physics teil us that light is photon(l.e. quantum-mechanical entitles) thatexhibit somecharacterstics of wavesandsomecharactersücsof particles. ‘This wasthe concept developed by Planck. But,Einsteinlatersaid that light Is trarisverse(acting in cross-wise direction) wavemotion and It bends, a theory on whichhe got Nobel Prize.The dilemma of lightdid not end there. Instead, there hadbeen a number of other competingrepilcable paradlgrns.One group took lightto be particles emanating from materialbodies; for another, it was themodification of the medium thatintervenedbetweenthe bodyand the eye;still another explainedlight In terms ofan interaction of medium and emanationfrom the eye.

It is, thus, evident that even inphysical scienceswhere the factor likethe speedof light is constant,thereis avarlety of opinions, one being as goodasthe other. And, evenwhenthe factorIs constant, paradlgm can be a guideonly to a limited extent or in a specifictime-frame. But in soclalsclences,humanbehavlour Is the basis and It is not aconstant factor. Therefore, the Inferencedrawn from the changing humanbehavlour Is varlable. For Instance,hlstorians say extreme poverty causesrevolutions. But almost all revolutions,

Including the French,were causednotin poor societies. Poverty stuns andbenumbsthe poon only half-metdemandsandsocialdisparitycausesocial upsets.

GeorgeBernardShawonçeobservedthat all progress depends on theunreasonable man. He said thereasonableman adapts himself to theworld whlle the ‘unreasonable manperslsts in trylng to adapt the world tohimself. Therefore, for any change theworld must look to unreasornblemanCor woman). Dr. Pathak quite fits thebill: for he-persisted in changingsocietyand its attitude towardsthe dispossesedand the poor. For his unreasonablertess,

he had to run the gauntlet; his parentspunlshed him for touching a scavengerand societycondemnedhim asaBrahmlnbecoming seavenger. Hisunreasonableness,hasfinally succeeded.However,changewill be bestabsorbedifit comes slowly, says Dr. Pathak. ForInstance,a frog put in the cold waterwill not stir or agitate 1f the water Isheatedup slowly and gradually. And Itwill not agitate again when It is finallybolled dead in the hot water. Slow andgndual changes(heattngup) gives timefor thepeopleto absorbchangewithoutagitation. Hence, Sulalib is more amovement than revolutlon, working tobring about a gradual change in thesystemwithout causingdamage(bolling)to its structure as Naxalite movementsought to do. -

In thebegirming,Sulabhmovementwasstarted by socialworkers but, later,distinguished personsfrom differentdisciplinesjoined It, Includingeng~neers,scientists,a.cademic,archltects,planners,administrators,doctorsandothers. Overa time, It became a self-rellant andsustalnableagendafor growth. Sulabhhasits own phllosophyandreilgion whlchstands for eternal varities like respectfor all cultures, religions and mutualityof interests of all mankind. This efforthas been acclalmed by the State andcenu-al Governments and varlousnatlonal and International agencies,

The SulabhMovement Isdialectic - thesis,antl-thesls, andsynthesis. Hlstoricaievents take placedue to the conflictof social forcescaused by man’sneeds. The practlceof scavenglng inIndia has a longhlstory and Itcontinues In themidst of manycontradictlons. For Itto phase out, It willinvolve a historicalprocess iikeeducatlon,bampaign, law andtechnology. And,Sulabh Is all thesethlngs and more. -

17


Thucydides, aGreek philosopher

and warrior, says Inhis magnum opus,

The PeloponneslanWar, that events

should not beJudged earller than100 years after their

occurence. Thistime-gap Is

necessary to give aperspective to be

able to Judge menand eventsobJectlvely.

inciuding HUDCO, WHO and UNICEF,UNDP, HABITAT. The World Bank hasacceptedthe principlesadvancedby Dr.Pathak. UNDP has also evaluateditstechnology,and methodology, prepareda manual and passed It on to the

countries of South-East Asia, LatinAmerica andAfrlca for adoption. SuIabhhas a strong scientific backgroundanddataprocessingfacilitleswhlch producerepilcable models.It hasresearch(soclaland technical) faclilties for training,demonstratlon and human resourcedevelopment.Apartfrom these,there areblueprlnts for implementation,maintenanceand follow-up action. Itplays a cruclal role In Institutlon building.Useof non-conventionalsourcesof energyIs the need of the hour with the fastdepletlrigfossil fuels of theworld. Sulabhhas also made progress In R&D in thefields of blo-energyandblo-fertifiser fromhumanwaste.

Twenty-sevenyearsis not much ofa time in the historlcal continuum tosit back and take a stock of thedevelopmentsduring the quarter of acentury whlch is alreadycrowded wltl-imanysturmlngdevelopments.Thucydides,a Greek philosopher and wari-ior, saysIn his magnumopus,ThePeloponnesianWar, that eventsshould not be Judgedearller than 100 years after theiroccurence.This time-gap Is necessarytogive a perspective to be able to Judgemen and events objectlvely. However,Thucydides did not respect his ownguidelinesandwrotethe historyof time.It may be too early to write the Sulabhstorybuthalf-toldhistoryof experienceswill provide materlalfor futurehistorlansto write about this great movement. For,In the long perspective,It may seemthat

the really influentlal people in the last100 years were not Hitler or Churchill.Stalin or Gorbachev, but Freud, MarxEinstein,andotherswho changednothingexcept the way we thlnk. Francis CrickIs not a household name,yet he, wlthJames~Watson and Maurice Wilkins,discoveredthe geneticcode. DNA. andso created the_ scienceof mlcrobiologyand the Industry of biotechnology onwhlch much of our future may depend.Sulabh has also changed our attitudeand theway we thtnk. And, that marksIt out from many other movementa.

The story of the Sulabh Movemeritis, however, stili unfolding itself. At 27-year milestone,wesimply pauseto ponderover Its successesand falluresandhowbestIt canhavethetrystwith Its destiny.For, Pathak has always believed thatfuture Is not Inevltable.Man canInfluenceIt, 1f we know what we want It to be.His plan Is to createa new soclalorderout of the old without a shotbeing fired.or a man being kliled.

Thefact is that, Indlas 120 milhion“untouchables” are set for a flght todemolishthecaste-basedstructure.Tnelrweapon-sare education.vote and gunsalso. The DalIts (one-slxth of thepopulatlon) arealso Instigaunga socialrevolution to toppie the 2,500-year-oldjuggernaui of the Hindu castesystemWhich condemnsa man to his caste-determlnlngwhefl-ierhe becomesadoctoror ascavenger.And, In this battie, poweris gradually shlftlng to Dalits. SulabhIs for this changebutIt shouldbepeacefulandwlthout destroylng the baslcsocialstructure. “Or else,” Dr. Pathak says,In the bloody soclal conflict, the ashesof Dalits and non-Dalits will becomeIndlstinguishable.

T8

AREAS OF WORK

pavementdwellers, rlckshaw-pullers,floating populatlonandalso for thosecommunitlesIn whosehousestoiletscannotbe constructeddueto spaceconstraint.Persuadepeopleto plant at least5

treesper family andalso plant treesaround public toilets for theprotectlon of envlronmenLl-Larnessnon-~onventionalenergy sourcesfrom humanwasteandsavefuel and

forests.Procureinanurefrom SulabhShauchalayaFanduseIt to ralsefarmproductivity. Promote job-oriented

educationand primary healthcare.Form groupsof peoplefrom all waiksof life throughoutthe country andabroadto build publlc opinlon againstsocial evlls and for the cause ofeconomically poor and neglected

sectlons of society. create newemployment avenues by trainingchange-agents for integraLe ruraldevelopment.Promoteconsultancy,researchanddevelopmentin techrilcaland social fields. Promotediffusionof tnnovations,educaüon,motivation

and awareness through masscommunication.Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak studied

variousdesignsof tollets and work doneIn this field in India and abroad anddevelopedSulabh Shauchalayawhich isthe most suitable,affordableandasoclal-culturally acceptable technology. ThistoIlet design has beenwidely accepted

by the people becauseIt is low-cost; It

requiresonly two litres of water to flush.

It doesnot requlre theservicesof scavengernor doesIt pollute air; it providesmanureon the spot, can be cleanedand easllymaintalnedby house-owrzersthemselves,The two pits work alternatelyfor several

years.It canbeeasilycormectedIn sewer.The Central and the State

governments,various national, and

international agencies, like UNDP,UNICEF, WHO. World Hank etc., haveacceptedSulabh Shauchalayaasthe mostappropriatelow-costtechxiologicaloption.Theyhavesuggestedtheadoptionof thissystem in India and other developingcountries.

The Govt. of India hasincludedlow-

cost sanitationas a vitaj componentintheIntegratedDevelopmentof Small andMediumTowns (IDSMT) Prograinme.TheHousing and Urban DevelopmentCorporation(HUDCO) also gives financial

assistancefor low-cost sanitation t~various categoriesof beneficiaries.TheMinistry of Urban Development, theGovernment of India, providessubsidyto local authorities for conversion of dryorbucketprivies Into Sulabhshauèhalayas

and constructionof toflets in bouses.

~+JJBERAT1QN~,QF~

The point 11 in the Govt. of India’s 20-Point Programme of 1986 relates to‘Justice to Schecluleci Castes ançlScheduledTribes’. It aixns at era,dication

of scavengingand undertakingspecialprogrammes for the rehabilit~tion~ç,fscavengers.Sulabh International SoclalService Organlsatlon Is fully involved inachievingthis objectIve~

~TRAR’4~NGAND~~R~1-IABILLTATLOt~i,

Sulabh International Social Service

The facilities ofspecial tollets,combined wIthbath havingshower facillty,cioak-rooms,telephone andprimary healthcarehave also beenprovided In someof the Sulabhcomplexes.

21

AREAS OF WORK

Presently, It isworkIng for

optimum utiiisationand techno

economIcevaluation of

human excretaand other mixed

wastes basedbiogas piants toensure effective

waste disposal andharnessing of bIo

energy.

A Sulablt communitytoilet-cum-batlt complex

at Surat, Oujarat

Organisalionis the only non-governrnentalorganisationwbich takes up the twinoperationsof liberation of scavengersbyconversion of dry/bucket privles andtraining and rehabilitatlon of liberatedscavengersand their wards. Sulabh

organisesprogrammesto train them Invarlous vocations such as driving,mechanic, tailoring. typing, canework,carpentry,leatherwork,masoniyetc. Theyarealso educatedon health,sanitationandpersonalhygiene.Sulabhestablishedthe first training Institute exclusivelyfor scavengersat Patna,now shifted to

Palam,NewDelhi. It hasestablishedsuchan institute at Bombayin collaboration

with State government and is runningIt successfully.

~8OCLALUPGRAQAI1QN~L

The liberation of scavengersand thelrrehabilitatlon In other professionsis notenough; no less important Is theupgradatlonof their social statusso thattheycanbeabsorbedInto themainstream

of soclal life and untouchabilltycan beabolished. Towards that end,Sulabhhaspersuadeda large number of eminent

persons,judges, politicians. ministers,journalists and eminent lawyers to“soclally o.dopt” onescavengerfainlly eachandhelp them getjobs andotherbenefitspermissibleunderthe law. The adofter

vlsits the adoptee(and vice-versa)openlyso that they cnn get the socialrespectability.This prograinmeis getting

a very encouragingresponse.

In October1988,Dr. Pathakvisitedthe Nathdwara temple in Udaipur(Rajasthan)alongwlth 100 sons anddaughtersof scavengersandsomeVedicBrahmins. Earlier, Harijans were not

allowedto enterthat ternple.Dr. PathakorganisedPujaand communitymealswlthHarijans, both at Patna and in Delhi.

Participatlonof the so-calledhlgh-castepeople in such functions was anindicatlon that Dr. Pathaksucceededinbringing about a measureof changeinsociety, dominatedby orthodoxHiridus.

~2V~LiC TOlLEJS

The year 1974 may be recalled as alandmark In the history of sanitationwhen the system of operating and

maintalnlng community toilets withbathingwashingand urlnal facilitleswithattendant’s serviceround the clock wasinitiatecï~onthepay-and-usesystemwithpeople’sparticlpationwithout anyburden

on public exchequeror localauthoritiesIn Patna.

Sulabh complexes have beenwelcomed both by the people and theauthoritiesdue to their cleanlinessand

good management.Thesehaveelectricityand24 hours water supply Soappowderis suppliedfreetousersfor washlnghands.The complexeshaveseparateenclosuresfor menandwomen.The usersare chargedriominal chargesfor using tollets and/~r baths, but use of urinal facllity Isfree.Chlldren,disabledpersonsandthosewho cannotafford to pay areallowed to

use the facillty free of charge.Avallability of bathing facility is a

boon tothe poot. End to open defecationhad resulted in improvement ofenvlronment, community health andquality of life, thus ralsing theproductivity of the people.The facilitles

of special toilets, combinedwith bathhaving shower facllity, cloak-rooms,

telephoneand primary healthcarehave

22

jet;

AREAS OF WORK

alsobeenprovidedin someof the Sulabhcomplexes. For the Royal Governmentof Bhutan Sulabh International SoclalServiceOrganisatlonhasconstructedand

Is opentingandmaintairiingonecomplexon pay and use basis at Thimphu,Bhutan.

BIOGAS FROMHUMAN ~XCRETA

Sulabh International Social ServiceOrganlsationis tIn first to generatebiogasfrom humanexcretaon a large-scaleatpublic toilets. The Gandhi Maidan atPatna has been lighted by convertingblogas generatedat Sulabh tollets intoelectrlcityby adual fuel engine.Sulabh

Is assistingin achievlngthe objectiveofthe Ministry of Non-conventionalEnergySources (MNES), The Govt. of India byputting up humanexcretabasedbiogas

plants all over the country. So far 62biogas plants have been installed andthe biogas is being utilised for lightlngthe complexesandcookingpurposes.Theorganisationalso proposesto utlilsebiogas

to supply warm water for bathing andwarmingbodiesand hands durlngwintersat SulabhShauchalayaComplexes.

SUI..ABH CENTRE FORACTION SOCIOLOGY

The Centrehasbeen establlshedto studysoclalproblems and find their solutions.The Centre also Imparts traInIng invariousvocationsto scavengersand theirdependents.It also runs the English-medium school at Delhi for education

of children of scavengers. To developpersonalityof scavengers’childrenis yetanother aspectof the problem. Boys andgirls of Sulabh Institutes are glventraining in dance and music. Aprogramme was held at India

InternationalCentreon January29, 1994when girls of scavengerfamliies staged

a cultural programme, presided over by

Delhi Chief Minister, Mr. Madan LalKhurana.It wasaspectatularmusicanddance festival appreciated by all.

~ENGUS!#MED!Ç~j~~PUBUC~SC$OOL

Sulabh International Soclal ServiceOrganisationhas open5d an English-medium public school for chtldren ofscavengerswho are given free moderneducationin avariety of subjects,wlththrust on vocationaltraining, includlng

computerand office management.TheSulabhFoundersays that educationis

a great redeemer;it Is only througheducationthat the final solution canbefound to any social problem, especlallywhen It comesto abolishingattitudinalprejudices.The scavengets’childrenaretaught throughEnglish-medIumSO that

theycancompeteas equalsIn openjobmarket. Hindi is tauglt as national=

language along wlth San4rit [Sanskritbecauseit hasbeenasouteeof Brahmin

domlnanceIn society). Sulabhplans toset up suchschoolsIn all state.In non-Hindi speakingstate regional languagewill alsobe taughtbesidesEnglish, Hindiand Sanskrlt.

J&LJ~ARQtL~.

~PWELOPj\4ENT

The Instituteof TechnicalResearchand

The accent is alsoon strengtheningthe cotfage industrybase of Teekil andpromote the growfhof village industriesby utfllsing localrenewable resourcesas well as theiocaily avaiiable skilifor Sustalnabie RuralDeveiopment, inthe truo sense ofthe term.

Schoolcliildren, mostlg from scavengerfamWes,studying at Sulablt Engllsh-

medium Public School

-—

AREAS OF WORK—.,..a-~

liie expansion ofthe Sulabh

technology has alsobeen phenomenai

during the pastdecade, Sulabhwork has been

recognised as aGlobal Best Practice

at the Habitat-liconference at

Istanbul, in June,1996. Sulabh has

been SpecialConsultative Statuswlth the Economlcand Soclal Council

of the UnitedNations.

Developmentis engagedin researchanddevelopmentin the fields of low cost-sanitation and blogas technology foroverall environmental improvement. Itstudiedtheperformanceof different typesof blogas plants in varied situationsinBihar at the requestof Ministry of NonConventionalEnergySources,Govt. ofIndIa. Presently,It Is working foroptimurnutilisation and techno economicevaluationof humanexcretaand othermlxed wastes based biogas plants toensure effective waste disposal and

harnessingof bio energy. Studyon Indo-German collaborative project In lowmaintenancewaste water treatmentsystem is being carrled out in Delhi.

Study and researchwas carrledout foroptlmising the low-cost sanitationtechnologyand on pollution of groundwater and soil likely to occur from on-site sanitation neer Calcutta wlth radioIsotope tracers in high sub-soil waterlevel areas.

£WER TQ1IUAGE~

Dr. Pathak has evolved an appropriatestrategyof niral developinentby creatinghorizontal as well as vertical linkagesbetween the local people and thedevelopmentagçnctesvia a network oflocalyouthwho will betralnedaschange-

agentsandactascatalystsIn promotingrural development programme bymotivating the rural folk and actlng as

facilitators between the governmentagencies as well as voluntary

organisationsengagedIn this campaignof creatingmodel villages.

SHRD hastakenup a village calledTeekli, situated in Gurgaondistrict ofHaryana,wlth the alm to transform ItInto a model village. After a seriesof

surveysandmeetingswlth thelocalpeopleof Teekll, ‘health’ seemedto be their top

prlorlty as per the need-identification.Hence, 51110 has launched a healthsurvey,whereinthefamily healthrecord

of all the 1006householdsis completed;3920 persons(85%) havegone throughcompletemedical check-up; a hundredpercentcheck-upofpregnantwomen(pit-natal check-up) is done; 70% haveprocuredfamily-plariningservices;around2000 people have been Immunizedthroughvaccinatlontlneludlng989 under-

fives; andablood-bankof 150 voluntaryblood donors has been createdso far.Around 300Sulabh tolletshavebeensetup in this village of 600 houses.

Another areaIn which SIIRD has

contributed sIgnificantiy is thepromotIon of envlronmentalsanItatlonand community health throughcommunity action. This has beenachieved through the Implementatlonof a new school training model. Thismodel was put in practice in AndhraPradeshsuccessfuily. It has beenvery

recelved by ODA. Accordlngly It hasbeen decided, in principle, that themodel should be replicated under the

programmes of ODA programme inWest Bengal and Orissa. Under theAndhra project, SIIRD conducted aseries of orlentation and intensive

training courses at all the sixMunicipal Corporations of Andhra

Pradesh, namely Hyderabad,Vishakhapatnam,Vijaywada, Wararigal,

Guntur and Kurnool. The totalnumber of those trained during thefirst phase was 1000 teachers, 300

~: ~SIIRD’SBET1ER SCHOOL - BE’flER L1VINGMODEL: Teacherspreparing visual aids

for students

24

AREAS OF WORK

studenta,200 sanitatlon workers and60 public health engineers.For eachcourse and each category of thetralnees, the training modules werespecially designed keeplng In view theperception level and the Interestbackgroundof the target group.

The training modules developedfor each course were primarily basedon the prlnclples of particlpatorylearnlng. As such, the emphasls wasmore on dlscusrions and experlence

sharlng exerclse rather than on thecommon practice of class roomteaching. One unique feature of thisprogrammewas athree day sanitatlon

and community health exhibltionorganised at Guntur where the tralnedteacher’sand studentsset up dlfferent

stalis exhibit their visual aids whlchthey prepared during the trainingprogramme. The Ministry ofEnvlronment and Forest, has granted

a pIlot project on the same terms todevelop schools as the focal point ofawarenessand motivation for InvolvingmassesIn Natlonal River Action Plan.

National Fertillzers Ltd. - apublic sector undertakingof Govt. of

India has sponsoreda pilot project onsustalnable rural development intribal area (Bastardistrict) of MadhyaPradeah of whlch SLIRD Is theimplementlng agency has been

developedwith the specific purposeofevolvlng a unique model of GO-NGO

partnership In initiating communltyaction based approach of allevlatingpoverty through employmentgeneratlonIn the tribal villages. The

emphasls is on total development ofthe villages through awarenessëreatlon, self help inltlation and skilldevelopment of the people so that theydevelop their communities as modelsof self-sustalned growth. The majorareas of the actlvlties under theproject ere; Sanitatlonand communlty

healtb, Employment generationthrough vocatlonal training to tribalmen and women, Use of Non-conventional sources of energy,Agricultural development andEmpowerment of women throughfunctional llteracy and creatlon ofself-help groups of skilled workers.Another action project on integratedrural developmentin Uttar PradeshIs

to start soon under the sponsorshipofIndlan OverseasBank as a part of thecelebratlons of golden jubllee year ofIndia’s Independence. -

With community participatlon.Sulabh seeksto provldeoneSulabh toiletto eachhousehold;provideaccessto safe

and cleandrInkingwaterto everyvillager;medical aid to each individual; familywelfareof each(eligible) couple;completehealth care of every pregnantmother;

complete immunizatlon of the wholevillage populace; and total medi-care.apart from other developmentactivltles.I.e. paving all the lanesandroadswIth

bricks; trainIng village youths in toiletconstruction, hand-pump Installatlonknd malntenance,smokelesschullahs,biogas, adult educatlon, family welfareand public works, etc. The accentis alsoon strengthening the cottage Industrybaseof Teekli and promote fhe growth

of village industrles by piulising localrenewableresourceaasweU as the locallyavailable skm for Sustalnable Rural -

Development,in the true senseof theterm.

The Sulabh Founder,Dr. BindeshwarPathak, has beenhonoured withmany nationai andInternationalawards, InciudingPadma Bhushanand St. Francis Prizefor the Environment,Itaiy.

013/S PRWEC~ON SANTI’A7TON 2RAINING:An exerciseIn participatorg learning

AREAS Of WORK

A massiveprogramme for

providing latrines Inrural areas Is belng

planned forImpiementation In

consultatlon wlththe varlous state

governments. Theapproach Is to

develop humanresource and

provide alternativedesigns of Su!abh

Shauchalaya ofdifferent costs. Thebeneficlary is ~ven

the option to selecta design whlch

suits him most.

SULABH INTEG~RAT~OHEALfl-ICARE .SYST~M

Health is closely related to sanitation.As such, recently a new dimenslon hasbeen added to Sulabh Movement bydeveloping“SulabhIntegratedHealthcareModel” It almsat bringing all componentof acüvltiesrelateddlrectly or Indirectlyto health care under one umbrella. Itwill act as complement or suppiementto existing healthcare.

~UMANL.~R~$ØURCE~J~YELOPM~NT

A programinehasbeen takenup to createlnfrastructureat grass-roötlevel (everypanchayat) for rural developmentby

training two youths in each panchayatin different vocations e.g.water supply,low costsanitatlon,healthirnmunlsation,biogas,solarenergy.soctalforestry,adult

educallon,agriculture,streetpaving,drainconstructlon and smokelesschulas. Amassiveprogrammefor providirig Iatr1ne~

In rural areas is being planned forImplementalion in consultationwlth the

vartousstategovernments.Theapproachis to develophumanresourceandprovidealternativedesignsof SulabhShauchalaya

of different costs.The beneficiaryis giventheoption to selecta designwhich suitshim most.

EMPLOYMENT~ENERAT1QN

More than 35,000Assoclate Membersrender their social services to SulabhInternational.The total mandayscreatedby Sulabh add up to many million onthe construction of nearly 7.8 lakhSulabh Shauchalayasand about 3.154community toilet complexes.Thosewhoare employed in allied works are manymore.

The Institute was involved In the

prestigious project for prevention ofpolluilon of ijver Gang’a.Projectreportsfor constructionof Sulabh Complexes,

converslon of bucket privies andconstructionof sanitarytoiletsin houseswherenoneexistedwere preparedfor a

number of towris in Bihar and U.P.aulabh lnternatlonai, in collaborationwlth the Dutch consultancyfirma (M/s.Haskoningand Euroconsult), preparedproject reportsfor KanpurandMirzapurtowns under the Ganga Action Plan.Sûlabh is Involved in cleaning riverYamuna In Delhi by building a seriesoffacilitles along It.

WORK APPRAISAL

Sulabhswork andachievementhavebeenpraisedby national and international

agenicles.Inciuding UT~JDP(World Bank),UNICEF andWHO. Sulabhis tied up wlthmany agencies In researchand projectwork, Including WHO, UNDP. ODA(OverseasDevelopment Agency of the

British Government. BORDA. SIDA(Danlsh International DevelopmentAgency), DANIDA (Danlsh InternationalDevelopmentAgency),KFW (Krebitanstalt

Fur Wiederaufbau, GermanDevelopmentCorporailon) EEC (EuropeanEconornicCommunity), theNetherlandsGovernment

also fund low-costsanitationprojectsinmany Statesin India. Sulabhis workingin theneighbourlngcountrieslike Nepal,Bhutan.China,PakistanandBangladesh.It has also taken up many programmes

Preparing tftein for Jobs

26

AREAS OF WORK

in collaboratlonwlth the UN Centre for

Human Settlement. Nairobi, theInternational Water and SanitatlonCentre. Loughborough University ofTechnolo~,(UK), through the Water

Engineering and Development Centre(WEDC). Sulabh International is closelyworking in collaboration wlthinternational agencies like WHO,UNICEF, UNDP andnationalagenciesilkeNBO. CBRI, HUDCO, Ministries ofWelfare, Urban Developmentand RuralDevelopment,GovL of India, All-IndiaInstitute of Hygleneand Public Health.Calcuttaetc. Theexpanslonof the Sulabh

technology has also been phenomenalduring the pastdecade.Sulabhwork hasbeenrecognisedas aGlobal BestPractice

at the Habitat-Il conferenceat Istanbul,

in June, 1996.Suiabhhes beenSpecialConsultatlveStatuswtth theEconomieand

SocIalCouncil of the United Nations.TheSulabhFounder,Dr. BlndeshwarPathak,has beenhonouredwith many natlonaland international awards, inciuding

Padma Bhushan and St. Francis Prlzefor the Environment, Italy.

STUDIES AND PRQJEÇTS

Sulabh International has worked as aConsultanton anumberof World BankassistedprojectseitherlndependentlyorIn collaborat.ionwlth EngineeringSeiMces(India) Pvt. Ltd. (CES). Some projects

pertaln to the collection of data andinformation on the statusof rural watersupply and sanitatlon develbpmentinsevenstatesof India; layingdowfl criteria

and guldelinesfor selecUngvillages anddistrlcts to be Inciudedin the IntegratedRural WaterSupplyand Environmental

Sanitation Project in Uttar Pradesh;identificatlon of low-cost sanitatlon

alternativesfor Madrascity and low eastsanitation for the Trivandrum (Kerala)Sewerageand Sanitation ImprovementProject.

Suiabh is at present engaged in

consultancyin collaboration wlth CESon (1) Low-Cost Sanitation under

EnvironmentalSanltatlori Programmein Sulabh has provedthe City of Madras and the Adjacent that peopleUrban Areas; (ii) Low-Cost Sanitatlon themselves, and notKozhikodeSanitatlonPlanningArea~ the Government,~ffi)ComrnunltyAwarenes~,Envlronment can solve the - -

and Health Education Studies in. -

problems on the self-sustalning basis and

EOaE’S. MOVEMENT the NGOs shouldplay the role of aSulabh plays an important part iri~catalyst In making ftidenllfying ways and me~nsof so1ving~happen. Women’scommon soclaiproblemsthroughpeoples problem has largelypartlcipation on sçlf-sustalningbasis. been iack ofSulabh has proved that people educatlon andthemselves,andnot the Government,een

skewed soclalsolve the problems cm the self-sustalningbasisandthe NGOs should play the role structure which isof a catalyst in making It happen. - set against themWomen’s problem has Iargely beenleek In gender bios,of educationand skewedsoclalstructure especlally inwhlch is set againstthem in genderbias, developingespedallyin developingcountrtes.Women countries,hold key to the successof sanltation _________

programme: they eenbi-ing about iastlng -

changes in the family and sÖe~lety.

Sulabhs strategy is to ensure fullparticipationof women In the sanitationprograrameby dliscouragingthe prejudicesflowing from casteisin, religiousradlcallsrnanduntouchabllltywhlch have

also been the sourcesof backwardness-

and poverty. Sulabhseeksto combatthese -

by organising the poor in cooperatlon

Fish farming In duckweed-treatedwaste water opensnewpossibliWes

27

AREAS OF WORK

Uteracy, specially ofwomen, is the major

ideologicalfoundation of theSuiabh Movement

which is aknowiedge and

technology-basedorganisation which

seeks to changesociai norms and

preferenceseducatlon,campaign;

persuaslon andpressure.

with othersfor creatingenequitableandjust social order.

CAPACITY BU{LOINQ

CommunltyparticIpationhasbeenceniralto the Sulabh Movement which has leidspecialemphasison healtheducationand

creatingawarenessabout sanitationandenvironment. It has set up primaryhealthcarecentresat communltytollets.As aresultof this. considerableawarenesshas been createdabout the Importance

of personalhygieneandsanitation.It hashelpedIn brlnglngaboutachangein social

values and hygienehabits of the urbanpoor andhelped them adopt cleanllness

and sanitationas a part of their dailyroutine. In fact, Sulabh works to turndevelopment process into a people’smovementwith the people themselvesbecomlngagentsof change.Iie Innovativeapproach provides sustalnableenvironmental sanitation strategy tochangethe habits and attitudesof the

people. This approachhas helped inbuildlng the capacityof the communityand usher in a new self-sustainingsanitation order in society. Literacy,speclally of women, Is the majorideologlcal foundation of the SulabhMovement which is a knowledge andtechnology-basedorganisation whlch

seeks to change soclal norms andpreferences education, campaign;persuasionandpressure.

Sulabh’ssuccessshouldbemeasuredby its knowledge and radlcal ideas.Knowledge is the perceived value of asociety while Idea is the responseto aproblem. When we mix ideas withknowledge,we get capabilltesto promoteinter-group social relatIonshlp acrossdivergent disciplines and perspectives.Normsare “unwritten, unstated,mutual

understandlngsas to whatis appropriatebehavlourundergivensetsof condittons”.In a society or country. customs arenorms. How do norms differ from rulesand laws?Authorities enforce laws andsocialpressureenforcesnorms. Vlolationof a law may not result in socialdisapprovalbut vlolation of norms does.Norms are the community’sview of enactionor behavlour. Prohibitedactioneen

be mala In seor maleprohfblta.Mala In semeans lnherently evil. Mala prohihita

ineensthey are illegal only becausethemies say50.

This is the ideological perspeetiveof

Sulabhandfor that matterthis movement

Is different from any social movementlaunched In India so far. •

28 -

~ ..,tr~ -

Women!sempowermentthrough training

PERCEPTION & CÖMMENT$

Sanitatlon Is good economlcs- Chadwick

A tale of two sanitation movements- Chadwick and Sulabh -

I ndia has madeconsiderableprogressIn the fields of science& technology

(Includlng space science), education,healthcare,medicine,food productionete.Many Govt. and non-govt. agenciesandorganisauonshave beenworking, manyof them away from llmellght, to makethis progresshappen.Theleadlngamongthem is the Sulabh International Soclal

Service Organlsatton which is a majorinstitutional initiative to promoteenvlronmentalcleanllness,humanrights.primary education,vocational training,rural development,health and hygiene,non-conventionalsourcesof energy.And,develop users friendly sanitationtechnologiesto promotethesecauses.

Our image in the world took abeatlngwhenplaguebrokeout in SuratIn 1994. Poverty is not the sole reasonfor lackof sanitation andpublic hygiene.In India, privatecleanllnessco-existswithpublic dirt. While peoplekeeptheinsidesof thelr flats clean, the public areassuchascorridors,staircaseand surroundingsare shockingly dirty. Open nuliahs andgutters, uncleanedgarbage,with peopledefecatlngalong the roadside, pollutedwater sources,and open food-stallswithfiles - are common sight In most cities.OvercrowdlngIn ifi-ventilated tenementsinfested wlth inseets and rodents isanother common feature in eitIes. Nowonder then, our population is hlghlyvulnenbie to sev’eral sanitation-relateddiseases, ranging from the cold topneumonia.tuberculosis, leprosy,typhoid,cholen,jaundlce, malaria, kala azarandvenereal diseases.

A scenario, quite slmilar to the onedescribedabove e,dsted in the West Inthe lSth centuryin wake of the industrialrevolutionwhen garbageusedto beflungout of wIndows onto the streets!Conlamlnated drinking water wascollected In dirty vesselsfrom commontaps. Al workplaces. men, women and

childrenworkedlonghourslnunventilatedfactories.Peoplesurroundedby fflth, oftenfeil sick. Writers of those times havedeseribedhow the medieval Europeanhabit of not takingbath and not washingbelowthe belt was responsiblefor a largenumberof deaths.The stink on the roadswas literally unbearable.In America inthelastcentury,It wasImposslbletowalkthroughthe streetsof mil-WesterncItie~

wlthout havlng encounterwlth pigs andstray cattie. People usedto fling excretaoutof their wIndowswhich farmerswou1d~gatherat night. Hence, the name,night-soil.

A strong public sanitatloninovementstartedIn Englandin the mld-nlneteenthcentury with the submission of theSrdtatln Reportby Mr. Edwin Chadwick.Secretaryto the Poor Law Conanissioners.Mr. Chadwick also discovered closecorrelation between unhygienieenvironmentandthespreadof Infeetlousdiseases.TheSanitallonHeportpreparedby him In 1842 ushered, In the Great

SarzltatlonRevolutlonIn theWesternworld.The reportalso led to cleanlngup of manyplaces. ineluding reservoirs whereInfectious agentswhich cause disease(gennsand other micro-organismsjaswellas insectandanimal vectors(mosquitoes.reis, ifies etc.).werethrlvlng andbreedlng.

With the subsequentIntroductlon ofthe seweragesystem.provision of cleandrInkIngwaterandsafedisposalof garbage,the incidence of Infectious diseasesdecreaseddramatically.Thereis evidenceto suggestthat Indians also knew thecorrelation between sanitatlon anddiseasesand, henee, set the strlngentnormsof personalhyglene. It wasaround1860 that It became dear that diseaseawere caused when certain harmfulorganisms(pathogens)enteredthe body.Theseorganismswerespreadby air, food,water,inseets.animalsandevenby people.

As they were Invlsible to the nakedeye,

EDWIN CRADWICKwas a social reformerwho devotedhis lifeto sanitaryreform InBritain. Mr. Chadwickwas largelyresponsibie fordevising the systemunder which thecountry was dividedinto group. ofparishesadministeredby electedboardsofguardians, each boardwith its own inedicalofficer. Later, ascommissionerof theBoard of Health(1848-54),heconducted &campaignthatciilm!nated In passageof the Public HealthAct, 1848. Amonghis writings is thehistoric report; An

Enqulry into theSanltary Conditlon ofthe LabouringPopulation of GreatBritain (1842).

29

PERCEPTION & COMMENTS

Dr. Pathak sayssanitatlon is also a

behavlouralproblem whlch

should beadd ressed

adequately to bringabout a new

sanifatlon order InIndia. The Chadwick

report lald stress onthe sewerage system

because then rivershad enough waterto carry untreated

cUy sullage andwaste.

they were labelled micro-organlsmsormicrobes. - - -

CHADWICK REVOWTION

BetweentheChadwlckrevolutionof 1840,and the Sulabh Movement, started In1970, there is a gap of 130 yearsdurlngwhich significantdevelopmentstook place

In the fields of scienceand sanitafiontechnology.The problem alsogrew duringthis period, spectally In the developlngcountrles,where dernographic expansionand mass migration to cities posedproblemsdlfferent from anyMr. Chadwick

could envlsageIn a London of only twomillion people (the present population ofLondon is about 10 mlllion).

However, theSulabh Movement canbe compared with the Great SanitatlortMovernentlaunched in the West In the1860s to raise the standard of publichyglene which had deterioratedconsiderably In the early nineteenthcentury. speclally In Englandwhere theIridustrtal Revolutlortwasat its peakandthe peoplewereleavlngvIllsges (readOliverGoldsmith’sDesertedVillage, 1770) andcrowding the city centres for Jobs,educatlonandgoodlife. Charles Dlckenshasvlvldly describedthesituatlonIn many

of his books. Western citles, speclally inLondon which led the IndustrlalRevolution, had becometoo crowded.TheGreat Plague of 1664 and Great Fire of1665had almostresultedIn anewLondonwhich contlnuedto bealivable placeuntflthe Industrial Revolution againchangedthe characterof thecity. It mayberecalledthat Karl Marx (1818-83)also worked Inthe dirty and oppressiveLondon durlngthat time when exploitation and filthmarked the lives of industrial workers.And, he produceda book (Das Capltal,

1867) after which the world was neverthe sameagain.By 1840. the scenestartedchangingwhen the public-spirited men,including writers, lawyers, and otherprofessionals, examined the llvingconditlonsof the poor. Mr. Chadwlck wasthe acknowledgedploneerin the field.

Thedifferencebetweenthe two great&anlt~tionmovementsIs dlstlnct; whilethe Chadwick revolutlon was largelyllmlted to awarenesscainpalgnwlth stress

on sanitation,the Sulabh Movement talksof a set of human behaviour and changeIn soclal dispensation. It also taiks ofhuman rights to basicservlces.includlngsanitation,which Is iinked to the rlgh.t to

survtvaLA large number of childrendle ofsanitatlon-relateddiseasesand, hence,bydenylng an actess to basic sanltatlonfacilltles thesechfldrenare deniedrighttosurvlvalwhich Is guaranteedunder theUntversal Declaratlon of Human RtghLs

slgned on December 10. 1948. Dr.Bindeshwar Pathak. Founder, SulabhMovement, promotes partnerslilp andalliance betweeri clvii society and theGovernment. Sanitatlon Is also linkedwlth rlght to know, rlght good health,and cleanfood.Dr. Pathaksayssanitationis a different kind of right. no IessImportant than any written in theDeclaratlon. Sulabh provides a new,indigenous, cuituraily affordable andapproprlate technology to soivesanitatlon-relatedproblems.liie Sulabh

Movement has a coinprehensiveprogramrne which Inciudes low-costtechnologles,education campaignand awhole range of peoples inltlatives to

promote cleanilness.Dr. Pathak sayssanitationis also a behavlouralproblemwhich should be addressedadequatelytobring about a new sanitation order InIndia. The Chadwlckreportleid stressonthe seweragesystembecausethen rfvershadenoughwaterto carry untreatedcitysullage. -

Yet another differencebetweenthetwo movements is that of disparatehlstorlead conditions. For all we know,England had never had the problem ofopen defecationslnce Normantlmes.Butin lndia~outof 950 million people,about700 mlllion defecateIn the open - alongrailwaytracks, in openplacesor In fields,causingfilth, and diseases.It Is now aproven fact that more than 50 klnds ofdiseasescanbe causedby open defecatlon

30


whlch include diarrhoea, dysentery,Jaundlce, cholera, hepatitis etc. Alsorelated to sanitation Is a human rlghtsquestion.The dry toilets arestifi cleanedmanually by half-a-mlJllon scavengersaremostdepressedand explolted peopleinIndia. Ironlcally, they arehatedevenbythose whose excretathey carry on thehead.Unllke theChadwlckmovement,the

Sulabh Movement addresses both theproblems - sanitatlon and manualscavenging.

----A RADcA~LDEPARTURE

The Sulabh human waste disposaltechnologyis a radical departure from theseweragesystemwhich makesIt emlnentlysuitable for use in both individual andcluster houses. This novel sanitationsystemIs a frontier technologywhich willkeepour habitatcentrescleanandpeoplehealthy. As a matterof fact, Sulabh hasglven a new turn to the sanitationmovementby evolvlng low-costpourflushwater-sealtoilet wlth two plts for on-sitedlsposal of human waste as a vlablealternativeto the seweragesystemand

bucket latrlnes and, thus, also abolishmanualhandllng of human waste.

~JMPè~CTOF~~4ECHNOLOGY ~- :‘~-

TheSulabhtoIletsystemis acost-effectiveand approprlate technology option. Itneedsmuch Iess water (only two litres)than Is needed(10 Iltres) for fiushing outtheconventlonalwaterclosets(Wc). And,thijs, It conserveswater which Is scarcein thedevelopedcountrlesalso.Sewerageandseptictanks arevery expenslvewhichthe developing countries cannotafford.The toilets bullt on Sulabh technologyhave a large variety of deslgns to suitdlfferent income levels, topcgraphicalterralns and local resources. It Iseconomlcally and socio-culturallyacceptableto the people. It Is free fromfoul odour and can be bullt byindigenouslyavailablematerlals.It is easy

to build and easyto maintain.WIth highpotenilal of upgradation.It can also beconnected to sewets easlly whenintroducedin the area. It doesnot need

the service of scavengersand makesavaflable high-quailty manure and soilcondltioner.

Sulabhhas so far constructedandconvertedover700,000Sulabhhousehold

toilets and3,000public toilets,now beingusedby 10mlllion peopleeveryday,whlch

- is the totif j5Ejiiil~.üonof Londonwasthelocus of theChadwlckrevolution.Over 37,500 scavengershave beenliberatedfrom the cruel taakof manualscavengingand 3.500 wardsand fa’nllymembersof theliberatedscavengershave

beengiven vocational training. As manj’as240 townshavebeenmadescavenglng-free. Therehasbeena cframaticchangeInthe physical envlronmentof the townswhere the Sulabh systemis in operatlon.In the towns whlch hav~becomescavenglng-free, all dry (or bucket)household prlvies have been convertedinto the new twIn-pIt pourflush Sulabhtoilets.The houseswbich had no latrinetoo have been provided wIth sanitarytoilets andfor thosewho couldnot affordor spacewasa ccrnstraint,well-managedcominunity toilets were provided. Thus,the dumping of fresh pathogericnight-soil had stopped, leading to theImprovementin thephyslcalenvlronment.

~CA$ELF”SUSTAINAB&.EPUBUQ

Sulabh’s Innovatlveness Is bestdemonstratedin the public toilet systemoperatedon thepay-and-usebasiswhichIs self-sustalnlng.- Along with publictoilets,Sulabhprovldeabathing.washingand urlnal facfflties with siepiratcompartrnentsfor men and wom&i. Some

other amenitleslike cloakroonti, publictelephone,primary healthcare.drinkIngwater, school for ch.ildren in slums etc.have also beenprovldedat someplaces.The user-chargeis nominal; the dlsabled.children and those who cannotpay are

There has been adramatlc change Inthe physlcaienvlronment of thetowns where theSulabh systern Is inoperatIoh1~In thetowns whlch havebecomescavenglng-free, alldry (or bucket)household privleshave beenconverted Into thenew Iwin-pltpourtiush Sulabhtollets.

P~RPN

Dr. Pathakpersuaded Mr.

Maulice Strong ofEarfh Summlt to

make sanltatlon apart of Agenda-21

and separate Itfrom water supply toget adequate funds.At the Water Supply

and CotlaborafiveCouncil meetlngs atOslo and Rabat, Dr.

Pathak convincedthe world

communlty thatsanitatlon Is a co-

efficlent ofeconomic growth.

allowed to use the facilitles free. Theauthoritles, therefore, do not have toprovide funds for the maintenance ofpublic toilets for a perlodup to 30 yearswhlch is an unlqueexampleof communityparticipation. In additlon, these toiletblocks have provlded dignity and safetyby providing facifitles for defecationandbathing in privacy, speclally for womenwho are the greatestbeneficlaries.

‘Iiie Chadwlckrevolution indicatedasharpchange in the situation by creatlngawarenessand a new approachto thesanitationproblem.The SulabhMovementis a paradigmshift whlch indicates aradical departurefrom the conventionalsanitationpractices.For instance,whenDarwin says the man Is a result ofevolution, It was a paradlgmshift fromthe carlier concept based on Book ofGeriesis that God wantedman, andmanappeared from the blue. The Sulabhtechnology.methodology,human rlghtsperspecuveto sanitationandthequestionof liberatlon of scavengers- theseandothersareentlrelydifferentfrom one-Issue

Chadwtckrevolutionof cleaningup places,killing disease-causingmicrobes andIaying seweriines.Sulabh works for achangein humanbebavlourand attitude:techriologyIs one component,(andverycritical componentat that) of the SulabhMovementwhlch hasalsoa much largerspread,and much greaterimpact on thesanitallonsituatlon and on the life thepeople than any revolution had before.Sulabh 4s a concept, wlth strongtechnologlcaitinderpinning,thatseekstousher In a new soclal order unlike theChadwick movementwhlch sought toclean up London city.

On Sulabh initiative, Central &State Govts. and civic bodles havechangedlaws, adoptedthe pay-and-usecommunity toilets systemas a acceptedpractice, funded Sulabh proJects onbiogas. training and rehabifitatlon andtoilet conversion and liberation of

sc~avenger.A special clause has beenInciuded in the 20-Potnt Programme.

highllghling theimportanceof sanitatlonand abolition of scavenglng.On Sulabhpersuasion,the former PrimeMinister ofh~dlla,Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao set thedate(1997-end)whenscavengingwill beabolished. Working vlgoroulsy at thenational and International levels, Dr.PathakpersuadedMr. MauriceStrongofEarth Sunimit to make sanitatlona partof Ageruia-21 and separateIt from watersupply I~get ~lequate funds. At theWater Supply and CollaborativeCouncilmeetingsat Oslo and Rabat,Dr. Pathakconvtnced the world community thatsanitatlon Is a co-efficient of ecoièomicgrowth. Sanitation whlch was a locala1~air,Is now on global agenda.

TheChadwick sanitatlonrevolutionwasaresponseto theproblemsin London,whlle the Sulabh Movement is a responseto theproblemsin India andalso of thosedeveloping countries wlth the similarproblems of clemographic expanslon,migration to citles, Illiteracy, povertyandthe inabifity of the administratlonto laysewerlinesto disposeof city waste intorivers after sewagetreatment. Today, evenin Parisonly 40 per centof city wasteIstreated and the rest Is dlschargedintoriver Seine.untreated.No wonder WorldBank, (UNDP). WHO. UNESCO and othernatlonaland internationalagencieshaverecomrnendedadoptionof theSulabhlow-

cost on-slte human waste disposaltechnologyandmethodologytobeadoptedI~iall the developing countrles. And,Sulabli technologyand methodologyhasbeendeclaredas aGIobal BestP~-acttceatHabitat-!! conferencein Istanbulin 1996.lp recogpitionof its hurnanitarianwork.Sulabh has been given the Spec&lConsultatlveStatuswlth theEcoriomlcand

SoclalCouncti of the UnitedNations.Although the two movementstook

place more than a century apart, theyhave one thing in comnion - both workedto live Out the dream a cleanand happyworld where people can live well. And,grow. •

2

SULABH TECHNOLOGY

Give me the piace and 1 will liftliie world - Archimedes of Syracusewho invented ievers and pulleys

Sulabh low-cost indigenoussanitation technology

N o doubt conventionalsewerageis anIdeal solution. It satlsfies most of

the publIc health criteria and alsoprovides convenlence.But It requlresenorinoussupply of water for its proper

functlonlng. TLe capltal cost of itsconstructionis very high, much beyondthe economic capability in the presentstage of development. Besides this.operationand maintenancecost is alscbeyondthe capacityof the poor countrles.Althoughthe seweragewasIntroducedinIndia in 1870 and the entire live yearplan allocauonsfor sanitatlonhavebeenspent on sewerage.yet there are hardly232 towns and citles (out of 4.689) withsewerlines.Noneof them, however,coversthe entlremunicipalcity area. leavealonethe adjolning suburbs included in themunicipal llmits. In most towns, evenonthe streetswheresewershavebeenlaid,houseshavenot been connectedin spiteof munlcipal laws makIng suchconnectlons compulsory. Thusinsanitation continues.

Septic tanks, an alternativeon-sitesanitationsystem,costalmost two and ahalf to three times more than that oflow-cost pourflush system.It has manydrawbacksin comparisonto pourflushtoileta. Safedisposalof Its effluentsposesa problem. Septic tank hasto be cleanedafter every one or two years.The wetsludge takenout is a healthhazardandat times getsmixed up wlth freshnight-soil and has obnoxlous smeil. The sludgehas,therefore, to be dischargedat a safeplace. Emptying the septIc tank is noteasya~idis aburdenon themunicipality.For cleaningtheseptictanksanddisposalof sludge,scavengersare needed.

In such a situatlon. de-sludging ofseptic tankswill posea seriousproblem.

The traditionalquantity of 14litres of water isneeded forflushlng. Thoughthe design ofseptic tank wasdevelopednearly400yearsagoandintroduced in Science can workIndia about 150 wondersyearsago,yetless -

than 20% of the housesevenin urbanareas have septlc tank latrlnes. Bothsewerageand septictanksare, thereforenot at all suitablein the presenteconomiccondition of the country to solve theproblem of insanitation.

The conceptthat theseare the only

suitabletechnologiesfor safedisposalofhumanwastehas led to the contlnuanceof a Iargenumberof bucketor dry prlvlesand practice of open air defecationalloverthecountry.Considerlngthevasineasof the country with Its divergentculture,soclal customsandattitudestogetherwlthvarlatlons in climatic. geological andhydrogeologicalconditionsandlow incomeof people, design of latrlne which couldsult the needs of rural and urbanpopulation raises several. complexproblems.

Environment influences thethoughts and habits of humanbeIng~.Their social and cultural developmentrespondwlth better community heaithandpersonalhygieneaniidstenvlronmentbetterment.Sulabh International’s goalis to remove such environmentaldeterrentsby replacing the obnoxloussmelllng bucket privies in- Individualhornes with low-cost sanitation andprovide community toilets with bathing

1f there were atechnology for cropplantatlon InSouthern America,the slavery systemwould never haveexlsted af all. And,the greatestcarnage In CMIWar (1862) wouldhave been averted.Again, 1f there werea technology, thehateful scavenglngsystem would neverhave been there.But, there was noneuntll Sulabhprovided one.

—T———-

SIJLABH TECHNOLOGY

facllities wherever needed to preventindlscrlnilnate open air defecation andimprove health, hygiene and quality oflife of the economicallyweakersectionofthe population.

Whlle the provision of SulabhShauchalayas in Individual housesbasmade the residents to live in a healthierenvironment, the toilet complexeswithbathing facilittes, in addition to theimprovement of environment, haveprovided faclllties for defecatlon andbathing in privacy.Thesemeasureshaveresultedin betterhealthand envlronment,hencehigher productivity.

It is a-commonaight in India to seethe excretafiowing through drains dueto open-airdefecationand also due tothe systemof cleaning bucket privies byscavengerswho washand discharge thewasteinto the drains whlch flow In frontof the houses.It is appallingto note thatout of nearly 950 milllon people morethan 700 mifilon people of the countryeither use bucket privles or defecateinthe openastheyhave no toilet facilities.Humanexcretais, therefore, a significantfactor for causing environmentaldegradationand It hasbeenestahuishedas the cause of 80% slckness in thiscountry. Degradatlonof environmentandecology effect the econotnicgrowth andhealth of the people. Besides otherfactors.one of the major causesof sucha situatton in India Is the existenceof7.5 million bucket prlvles which arecleanedmanually and centuries-oldsub-humanpracticeof open air defecallon.

The bucket latrines are a potentlal

hazard to health and hygiene anderivlronment.The latrlne seat.squattlnghole and collection chambersexposeexeretato ifies andencouragefly breedingin the locality. The excreta from thebucketareoften spilled in thevlcinity allalong theroaddurlng its transportto thedisposalsite. The bucket is sometimesleft in the open without cleaning, andexposingIt to thefiles. The chamberandthebucketare cleanedby pourlngwaterfrom the-squattlng hole and raw nightsoli flows In the drains in front of thehousesexposing the entire Iocality tohealth haiards.

Slnce the excreta is not properlysegregated,coliected and disposedof, ItIs ilable to get accessto water supply,contaminatefood through ifies andspreadhookwormand otherwormsby pofiutlngthe oil. Consurnptionof polluted waterand contaminatedfood and exposureofhuman beings to poiluted soli transmitthe pathogenicmierorganismsfrom sickpersonsto healthyonesinthe conununity.Safedisposalof hûinanexcretacanbringahout maximum Improvement Inenylronmentand health of peopleraisingtheir productivity. This is the conelusioriréached by researchers,scientlstsandexperts all over the world. The relativeimportarice of alternative preventivestrategies concerning water supply,sanitation and health educatlon wasstudiedby Dr. Feachelmof the LondonSchoolof HygieneandTropIcal Medicine.Summingup his observation. a routhguide to the oral relative Importanceofthepreventivemeasuresconsidered waterquallty 11, wateravailability 18, excretadisposal 25, excretaireatrnent 15,personal and domestic cleanllness 18,drainageand sullage disposal 6. foodhygiene17.

ThehealthImpactof supplylngcleanwater aloneis Ilinited. However,carefullydedgnedprogranimeswhlchcombinewaterquallty wlth ImprovementsIn wateravailabillty, sanitation and hygleneeducatlon have the pote1ntlal to besuccessftui.It is no wonderthatdtarrhoeal

It Is appalllng tonote that out of

nearly 950 mllllonpeopie more than700 million people

of the countryefther use bucket

privles or defecatein the open as they

have no toiletfacllities. Human

excreta is,therefore, a

slgnificant factor forcausing

environmentaldegradation and It

has beenestablished as the

cause of 80%sickness in this

country.

Technology is power

34

SIJLABH TECHNOLOGY

diseaseswere responsible for highestmorta]ity amongstall causesasreportedby the Minlstry of Health,GovernmentofIndIa during 1985-86. Thebucketor drylatrinesbreedifies and thewashlngsfromthesedischargethe humanexcreta intoopendralns,causinghealthhazardandenvironmental pollutlon.

The UNDP/World Bank carriedouta house-to-housesurvey in 1979-82 ofone and a half millton householdsoccupledby 10 millton peoplespread over21 States of our country. The surveyconcluded that In urban areas, nearly10%of the hous~toldsareconnectedtosewers,20% (6 million) havebucketprivies

whlle 45% do not have toilet faclilties intheir homes. The last category ofhouseholdseltherdefecatein theopenorusepublic toilets, IT availableandusable.The Planning commlssion,Governmentof IndIa has estlmatedthat there are 7.5mlllion bucket privles in the country inurban and rural areas.

Pourfiush latrine is mostapproprlatefor replacing bucket prlvies The threealternatlves by which bucket latrtnescould be replacedare:-• off-slte sanitation providlng complete

seweragesystem wlth treatnientproeess:

• on-slte sanitaüon• having septic tanks with soakage

pits, or• pourflush toilets wlth leach-pits.

Out of the above alternatlves. thefirst i.e. seweragecostaabout 12 timesas much as the pourfiush toilet wtthleachingpits. The secondaltematlve i.e.septictankwith soakagepits,besidesthede-sludgingof the former being fraughtwIth health risk, costaabout four tlmesas much as the pourfiush toilet withleaching plts. The last alternatives alsoconservewater as only 2 to 2.5 iltres ofwater is requlred for fiushing. -

improvement of environment- and thehealth of the natton would be byconverting nearly 7.8 million bucketlatrlnes into water flushed toilets and toprovide individual or communitylatrlnes

for those householdswhich do not haveanylatrlne in thelr houses.Sincenineteenforties sanltary englneers, experts andscientists in India grappled for anaffordable,acceptableandeasllyavallablealternative solution for replacementofbucket/dryprlvles and to preventopen

air defecation,but couldnot succeeddueto val-bus constraints. Sewerageandseptic tanks were consideredto be theonly solutlon to the problem.SewerageIsa high cost technology which thegovernments. local authorities or thecommunItyin this countrycannotafford.It was Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, who

showed that a low-cost pourflushwaterseallatrinewlth on-sitedisposalofhuman excreta in two pits to be usedalternatelyIs themostapproprtatesystemsuited to socio-cultural and economicconditbonsof India. Thesecould replacethe bucket/dxyprlvles and to preventopenair defecatbon, leadingj to healthyenvtronment. - -

Sulabh was actively involved in theindia’s prestlgïbüipi~6jééf”jwévënfiôn61Pollution of River Ganga’of the Ministryof Environment, Governmentof India.Origlnally the project did not include thecomponentof pourfiush latrlnes-. Theproposal was to lay sewersand tap thedrains at the outfall includ!ng fulltreatmentof sewage/sullageandmakinguse of biogasr - and treated effiuent foragricultural purposes. Subsequently,Itwasisuggestedby Dr. Pathak thatthehowof human excretain open drains beforebeing trapped at the outfall or theèonnëctingdrain *ill contfnue~t&be 1health hazard and provide unhealthyenvlronment along theiiaixik& of riverGanga. It hasbeenexperlencedthat inmost of the towns, cleartlng operationofbucketprlvbesis normally carrledout bypourlng bucketsof water in the bucketchamberwherebytheexeretafiowa along

The UNDP/WorldBank carried out ahouse-to-housesurvey In 1979-82 ofone and a halfmillIon householdsoccupled by 10mlillon peoplespread over 21States of ourcountry. The surveyconcluded that Inurban areas, nearly10% of thehouseholds areconnected tosewers, 20% (6milIlon) ha’îi bucketprlvles while 45% donot have toiletfadillties In theirhomes.

~“35

IMPROVEMENT OFENVIRONMENT

An import~nt step for the

SIJLABH TECHNOLOGY

Dr. Pathak provldedtraIning faclllttes to

youth In these fields.He Is thus asslstlng InImprovlng the village

environment bypreventlng not only

solI and waterpoilutlon but air

pollutlon as well.Besides, thIs will alsoenable the tralneeto remain In hIs or

her village and notto migrate

elsewhere. Dr.Pathak Is asslstlng In

Improvlng the villageenvironment by

provldlng such baslcamenltles.

roadsidedrainsbefbreIt dischargesintooutfall drains or sewers. It is in thiscontextthat thecentralGangaAuthorityin the revisedactionplan madeprovisionfor pourflush latrines, whereverfeasible,as It is the most inexpensivesolution tothe problem. Thus a better and healtbierenvironment could be created bypreventingthe presenceof excretain thesullagefiowlng in open drains along thetiver banks before being trappecLfordisposal. This bashelpedin substantialenvironmentaltmprovementin the stretchof river Ganga startlng right fromRishlkesh-Hardwar,extendlngto Kanpur,Mirzapur, Varanasi,Patna and coverlngWestBengal.

linprovernentof environmentthroughtraining in forestry pavements. properdrainage, hand pumps maintenance,smokelesschullias,biogasplantsand lowcost sanitallon

Afforestation in and around thevillage and also provision of properdrainagesystemandpavementsimprovethe village envlronment.Sbzeablefondsareallocatedfor suchprogrammesby the

stategovernments.Thevillages also neentrainedstaff to maintain thevillagehandpumps and provide assistance Inconstructlng toilets, smokelesschulhasetc.To enablea residentof the village toearn a decentlivelibood by working fortheseprogrammes.Dr. Pathak providedtraining facillüesto youth In thesefields.lie Is thus assisting in improvlng thevillage envlronment by preventing notonly soil and water pollution but airpollutlon as well. Besides,this will alsoenable the tralnee to remain In his orher village and not to migrateelsewhere.Dr. Pathakis assistingIn trnprovlng thevillage envlronment by providing suchbaslc amenittes. -

He got the novel idea of providingalternativesourceof energyby installingbiogas plants In a number of toiletcomplexes using human excreta.Ultimately, this would help in providlngbetterenvlronmentby lesserdependenceon fuel, wood and coal.

- - - Dr. BindeshwarPathakrealisedthatrelieving the scavengers from thebrdemeaningtask of manual handling ofhuman excretawas not the end of theprobleni. lie not only thought of the

engineering and pollution problemsrelatlng to excretadlsposalbut also forImprovlng the living conditionsof those

who wereengagedin handling the humanwasteto maketheenvironmentcleanandfreefrom healthhazards.He hasthusbythe introduction of householdpourflushtoilets as well as Pay and UseCommunity toilets, Improvcd the socialand physical environment of 37.500Ilberatedscavengersenabling them to livewith dignlty. There is need forrehabllitating them In some socballyacceptableprofession.

Mo~tof the scavéngerslose theirsenslllvity to thedignity and soclalvaluesof life. Thus thereis a needbi a changein their soctal life and mental attitudes

to improve the environment of thecommunity. Under Dr. - Pathak’sguidance, Sulabh Infernatlonal has,therefore,established a model Institutefor training the scavengers.their wardsandotherdeperidentsIn differentvocationssuch as electrical. mechanical, TVmechanic.motor vehicle driving. pumpattendants.typlng, basket making andmany other arts and crafts which wouldenablethem to live in societywith dignity.lie is assistingthe stategovernmentsinestablishingiuch traIning histitutesSulabhls the only oij~nisaUoîiin mdiiiwhich undertakesthetwin responsibilitiesie. conversion or construction ofpourfiush toilets and train the liberatedscavengers and thelr wards forrehabllitatbng them in dlgnlfledprofesslons.

- Dr. Pathakhasalways believed thatan uncleansocietycannotbe productive.The relatlon between society andenvbroninent Ï~s~ihbTotic And whilecarlngfor one, wearecaring for the other.Therefore It is necessary to launchenvlronmenL protectlon measures,rightway. Tomorrow may be too late. •

36

SULABH TECHNOLOGY

No groundwater pollutionfrom Sulabh toilets

Most confllcts In next centurywill be over water - UNDP

dequatesupply of safe water an&anltatIon are vital for sustalnable

developmerit and to improve the qualityof life no less than alleviatlng poverty.StudIes can-led out in India and abroadindicate that human excreta is thecauseof manyen~eric diseasessuchascholera, dysentery, typhold,paratyphold, infectious hepatitis,hookworni. diarrhoea etc. Over 50Infections can be transferred from adiseased person to a healthy one byvarlous direct or indirect routes fromhumanexcretaand causesnearly 80%slckness.Therefore appropriate humanwaste management should be theprimary objective of improvedsanitatlon to build a healthy natlonand provide a cleanerenvironment.

The severityof the problem couldbejudged from the fact that hardly 20%of the urban populatiori has accesstoflush arrangements connected toseweragesystem;14% havewater-basedtoilets connectedto septic tanks, 33%have bucket latrines and the remalning33% do not have accesato any latrinefacllity. The coverageIn rural areasisonly 3%. Nearly 89% of the populationIn India (about 750 million people)either defecate in the open or usebucket/dry privies or use community

It Is now a proven fact that Sulabhtollets, bulit true to speclficatlon,does not cause groundwaterpollutlon at all. Rather, the natlonaland International agenices havefound, after research, that the two-pitpourflush Sulabh toilet system Is moresclentlflc and water-saving thanany human waste dlsposal systemInvented so far.

toilets. Number of bucket privies has

been estimatedat 7.6 million, of which5.4 million are in urban areas. Thedauntlng problem nf - sanItationaccomp’any another serlous socialproblem: the problem of manualscavenglngwhlch is done by 4,00,000scavengersbelongingto the lowest castewhich suffers from inhuman anddegrading dlscrirninations becauseoftheir profession of physically cleaningandcarryIng human excreta.

In developed countries, thestandard solution for safe disposal ofhuman waste Is the water-borne The mostsewerage. Due - to severe financiaj- approprIateconstraints and-very high capital as technologlcalwell as operatlonal and maintenance option has to beoost, sewerageIs not the answer to soclo-culturally andsolve the problem of human wastedisposal In developlng countries. Septic environmentallytanks too, besideshigh cost,have many acceptable to thedrawbacks and operational problems. peopie. Sulabh fitsIn addition, these systems require the bill alsosufficlent quantity of water which Is ascarce commodity. With the present because It IseconomIc condition, sanitation affordable,facifitles cannotbe provided to all in pollutlon-free andthe foreseeable future. 1f we continue user-frlendly.with the seweragesystem. Therefore,the most appropriate technologicaloption hasto be adopted whlch providesthe socio-culturally andenvironmeritally acceptable level ofservice at economic cost.

~TOILET

Sulabh Shauchalaya.developedby Dr.Blndeshwar Pathak, Founder, SulabhSanitation Movement Is the mostappropriate technological option toserve as an alternatlve to bucket prlvles

37

SLJLABH TECHNOLOGY

Studieshavealso been done by SulabhnearCalcuttawith radlaisotope tracersin collaboratlon with All India Instituteof Hygiene and. Public Health, Calcuttaand Bhabha Atomic ResearchCentre.Hombay. Various studies haveco’nclusively proved that with dueprecautlons, Sulabh Shauchalaya canbe safely constructed in almost allgeological and hydrogeologicalcondltlons.

~GENEPAL..INFERENICES

The studiesconducted byKllnger In 1921

concluded that pitlatrines, 1f properly

constructed, areunllkely to cause

bacteriai intestlnalinfections. There is

mlnlmal pollutlonrisk In sandy or

clayey soli providedthe groundwaterlevel did not risehlgher than 3-4

metres beiowground l.e. 1.5 - 2.5metres beneath the

pit botfom.

and to stop open- Air defecatlon. It Isan indigenous technology and the toiletcan easily be constructed by locallabour and materlals. It provldes allthe health benefits by safe dlsposal ofhuman exereta on-site, which sewerageprovides. It requlres only 2 litres ofwater for flushing, thus conserveswater. However, 1f desired It can becistenr ilush also. It has a hIghpotential of upgradatlon, can be easilyconnectedto sewerswhenintroducedinthe area. It doesnot needthe servlcesof scavengersto citan the pits.

When the programme öfconversion of bucket privles IntoSulabh Shauchalayas launched by Dr.Pathak. in early nineteen seventiesmoved apace. people ralsed daubts

about the approprlatenessof thetechnology due to pits llkely to causrsoil and groundwater pollution. Whenthe issue wasreferred to the Director,Natlonal Environmental EngIneeringResearch Institute. Nagpur. heinformed that studies haddemonstrated that the extent ofpollutlon flow arising out of the pitprivies is very limlted and the systemcan be adopted in most soil condltlonswith certain precautlons. Theapprehension of groundwater pollutionIs a deterrent factor wlth many Inadoptlon of Sulabh Shauchalaya forImprovlng the environment and healthof the communlty. The pollutionproblem has been studled In greatdetail both in India and abroad.

Soil (unconsolidated) provldes a vetyeffective natura.i treatment systam.havlng the ability bi remove- faecalmicro-organisms and to breek down orattenuate many chemical compounds.The urrsaturated zone above thepainanëhtwatertable affords the mostImportant line of defence against thepollution of underiying aquifers. Thénature of materials and thickness ofthis zone are the key façtors In.determlning pollutlon risk. The keyfactor in reducing micro-biologlcalpollution of groundwater Is theniaxlmisatlon of effluent detentlontime. The rIsk of groundwaterpollutionwill be tninirnnl where more than2

metre~of fins unsaturatedsoils arepresent beneath the .fljae. pits.provldedthe hydraulic loadingdoesnotexce±ed50 mm/day. In saturated zone.pollutants mosrewlth the groundwatercauslng a pollutlon plume to ilevelop

from the pollutlon - source.Microbiologlcal pollutants are notnormally founci beyond the distance

travelledby groundwater In around 10

- -

NL ~. -

1. The studies conductedby ltllnger In1921 concluded that pit latrines. 1!properly constructed, are unlikelyto cause bacterial Intestinal

- -- -- ___P. 1_~~A long trek for scarce water

38

SULABH gÇHNQLOGY

Infections. There Is minima!pollutlon risk In sandy or clayeysoil provided the groundwater leveldId not rise higher than 3-4 metresbelow ground I.e. 1.5 - 2~5metresbeneath the pit bottont

2. E.L. Caidwell and L.W. Parrconducted studIes on pollutiontravel from a varlety of pit latrlnesduring nlneteen thlrtle&ia UnitedStates of America. The conclusionsof those studies are summarlsed

Clogging process was anImportant defencemechanismslimitlng the extent of bacterlalpenetration. After the on-setof clogging In the soli, thedlffuslon of organisms wasinhlblted. After some timebacterial pollution was limltedpractically to the latrine.However, chemicalcontamlnatlon of thegroundwater still occurred,although this was somewhatdlmlnished.

• Groundwater contamlnatlonwas reducedby providing linesand (0.1 - 0.25 mm) envelopearound the pit. No faecaicoliforms were detected in anyof the observation welis 3metresaway. -

• In a pit latrine penetrating thewater table in a medium linesand (effectlveslze0.5-1.0mm)wlth groundwater veloclty of0.5 m/day. faecal coliformInltially penetrated 3 metres in3-4 months before the flowfrom the pit was restricted byclogging.

3. The Investigations on risk ofpollutlon of water supplles from pitIatrines were canied out by All-India Instltute of Hygiene andPublic Health, Calcutta In Singur(WestBengal) by Dr. Dyers and Dr.Bhaskaranduring 1943-45. These

studIes showed that In medIum ~oilmade up of sand 0.2 mm effectiveslzeand wlth agroutidwatervelocltyU.7 - 0.8 m (2.5-3.0 ft)/day,bacterlal pollution did not flowmore than 3 m (ici feet) distancefrom the latrlne. Organicpoliutlon

Indicatedby 5 day BOD flowed to adistance of 1.60 m (5 feet) in amanner similar Ï~ bacterialpoliutlon. Chemleal poliutlonflowed further than bactericalpollution and was tracedupto 5 m(15 feet) distance b~foEebecomington dilute to be dlstinguishable inthe groundwater. It was alsoobserved that pollution takes piaceoaly during the first few monthsafter commissionlng of the latrine.When the latrlne hasbeenused forsome time, the IntersticeaIn thesoil get clogged and. regression ofpollution takes piace due toeflèctlve flltratlon and bacterlal dleoff.

4. The Report (1949) of the- Environmental Hyglene

(Govt. of India), whlle discussinghygiene of the rural envlronment,mentloned: «We wlsh here to Statathat the risk of pollution ofgroundwater by borehole and othertypes of latrines bas heen somewhat-

exaggeratedunder conditlons of useIavlllages. in sandy$oil, warry soil

- or clayey soli, the risk does not_extendbeyond 25 feet. A radlus of -

25 feet gives a factor of safety”.5. Subral-imanyan and Dr. fihaskaran

(1950) revlewed the studies carried -

out in India and U.S.A. andconcluded that -

-- • Bacterlal travel appears to

mainly depends on the velocityof groundwater 110w.

• The penetration of bacteria intothe saturated zone Is thedistance covered by the

- groundwaterIn 4-7 days.whlchIs the probable sunrlval time for

below•

The penetratlonof bacterla intothe saturated zoneIs the distancecovered by thegroundwater in 4-7days, which Is theprobabie surviva!time for coilformorganisms In theanaerobicgroundwater.

t

39

SULABH TECHNOLOGY

In soils, as In theSlngur (West

Bengal)expeîlmental areamac~eup of sand0.2 mm effective

size and 3 ft./dayvelocily of

groundwater flow,bacterlal poIIutIon~

did not travelbeyond 10 if. from

the latrine.

toliform organlsms in theanaerobic groundwaterenvironment.

• The spread of pollution isreduced when a gelatinousmembrane is formed on soilpartlcles, as It acts as aphysical barrler to bacteriapenetration. In this conditionthe soli becomes a- -realbiologlcal filter comparable to aslow sand filter In waterleaching.

• The safe dtstance between aborehole latrine or leachingcesspltand a well may be takento be the distancerepresentedby about 8 days travel of the

groundwater. -

• In the study areas In Indiawhere the hydraulic gradlent isless than 0.01 and the soli issandy (effective size less than0.25 mm), the groundwatervelocity Is unlikely to exceed

0.9 m/day. and a horizontaldistance of 7.5 m will providean ample margin of safetyagainst bacterial pollution.

6. While reviewing the availableinformation on the soli andground-water poilution arising fromthe on-slte human excreta disposalsystems,WHO pubilcation “ExcretaDisposal for RuralAreas and SmallCommunities by E.G. WagnerandJ.N. Lanoix - 1958” mentions thatafter excreta are deposlted on theground or In pits, the bacteria,unable to move much bythemselves. may be transportedhorizontally and downward Intoground by leaching liqulds or urine,or by ram water. The traveidistance of bacterla varies withseveralfactors, the most Importantof whlch is the porosity of the soli.Their horlzontal travel through soilIs usually lees than 90 cm (311.)and the downward travel less than

3 m (10 fL) In pits open to heavyrains, and not morethan 60 cm (211.) normally in poroussoils. Manyfactors such as slope and level ofgroundwaterand soli permeabilltyaffect bacteria removal In

groundwater. As a matter of- safety, It was suggestedto locats

the privy or cesspooldownhlli, orat least on somelevelpieceof land,and to avoid. if possible.placing Itdirectiy uphlll from a well. Where

uphili locations cannotbe.avolded.a dlstance.of 15 m (50 ft.) willprevent bacterial pollutlon of thewell. The publication bas furthermerftioned that• In sandy soli a privy may be

located as close as T.50m (25feet) from a properlyconstructedhousehold well. 1fIt Is impossibleto placeit at agreaterdistance. In the caseof a hlgher-yieldlng well not

lesa than 15m (50 fL) shouldseparate the well from alalrlne.

• In homogeneous soils thechance of ground-waterpollution is vlrtually nil. if thepit bottom of the latrine pit ismore than l.50m (5 fL) abovethe grouridwater table. Thesamemaybe sald 1f the bottomof a cesspoolis more than 3 m(10 ft.) above the ground.

• WhIle constructlng pits Inareascontalningfissuredrocks

- - or llmestone formations,constructlon must be carried

- out after carefulInvestlgations, since pollutlon

mlghtbe carried directlythrough solution channelsandwithout natural filtratlon todistant weils andothersourcesof drInking water supplies.

7~ The Indian Council of MedicalResearch (.ICMR) carried Out aReview on the work done on Rural

40

SUIABH TECHNOLOGY

Latrines In India during 1966 andobaervedthaL• The extent of poliution from

the pit latrines bi. c~IayeysoliIs very ilmited.

• In soils, as in the Singur(West Bengal) experimentalarea made up of sand0.2 mmeffective size and 3 ft./dayvelocity of groundwater fiow,bacteriai pollution did nottravel teyond 10 ft. from thelatrine.

• Poliution flow from latrinepiLs takes place only durlngthe first few months. Whenthe iatrine has been In useforsometime, the interfaces ofthe soli get filied up. resultingregression of poilubon.

~NTERNAIIONALANDNATIQNAL EFFQRTS

1. The National Seminar onConversion of Bucket Privles IntoPour-Fiush Waterseai Latrinesorganisedby Governmentof India,WHO and UNICEF at Patna inMay, 1978 conciuded that theextent of poflutlon fiow arising outof the pit privies is very limited.On-site sanitation systems couldbe adopted In most soli conditionsprovided certain precautions aretaken in locating the piLs.

2. International Reference Centre forWaste Disposal (IRCWD). WHOand UNDP/World Bank Project onLow Cost Sanitatlon brought out aReport (IRCWD Report No. 0/82)after revlewing the availableiiterature on the risk ofgroundwater poflutlon by on-sitesanitation. Besidesreitrating theimportant conciuslons, the reportsuggestedfollowing measuresforrestrlcting microbiai groundwaterpoilutionS minimising latrine hydraulic

- loading by lncreasing thesoakway area and excludingadditions of any householdwastewater, - -- -

• maximising- the thickness ofthe unsaturated-zoneavaiiabiefor purificatlon by constructinigralsed-latrine,

• Includlng longer saturated flowtime by deepening (withgrouting) of water supplyborehole solid lining tubeis,wherever feasible.

3. The Technology Advisory Group(TAG-Indla) of the UNDP/WorldBank Project on Law-Cast WaterSuppiy and Sanitation carried outstudies or~ilkely pollutlon risk ofgroundwater- sources from on-sitesanitationsystemsIn 1980-81.TheTAG in the Master Plan andFeasiblilty Report on Low-CostSanitatlon provided guidelines forthe Impiementation of on-sitesanitatlon programme wlthminimum risk of poilution ofg~oundwaterand_water supplydistribution system. - Based uponthe studies carried out In India,USA and elsewhere, the TAGreiterated that In aiiuvial soli (wlthpredominanceof soil mixed wlthday and fine sand) where.the pitsarelocatedIn the unsaturatedzone~the risk of bacterlal pollution isminimal provided the pit bottom Isat least 2 m above the maximumground level and the hydraulicloading in the plts doesnot exceed50 mm/day; where the pit extendsIn the saturatedzone,the poliutlontravel depends rna!niy on thevelocity of groundwater. In alluviaisoli, the distanceof pollutlon travei

is equlvalent to about 10 days traveiof groundwater. With the continuedusage of the It, clogging of soliaroimd the pit takesplaceresultingin regression of poilution flumewhlch ultimately stabilizes aL about

4~

in aliuvlal soil, thedistance ofpollution travel isequlvalent toabout 10 daystravel ofgroundwater. Withthe continuedusage of the pit,clogging of soliaround the pittakes piaceresuiting inregression ofpollution flumewhlch ultlmateiystabilizes at aboutim distance.

SULABH TECHNOLOGY

1 m distance. It was also reportedthat ver)’ Ilttle fleld work had so farbeendone regardlng travel of vlralpollution of groundwater. However,It was Indlcated that vlral pollutionis reduced, 1f adequateInterposing

soli iayer exlsts and hydraullcloadlng is ilmited to 50 inm/day.

4. “Manual on the Design,Construction and MaintenanceofPour-FlushWater Seal Latrines InIndia” (1984) - (TAG TechnlcalNoteNo. 10) brought out by UNDP/World Bank Project has givenguidelines and prescribed safedistancesfor locating leach pits invarious geological andhydrogeologlcal situations io -

minirnise possiblerisk of pollutlon

of groundwater and distrlbutionmalns for siting leach pits.

5. The Committee of Expertsconstituted by Government ofIndia, UNICEF/UNDP Project onRural Sanltatlon with the WorldBank as executlng agency, afterreviewing the research and studiescarrled out by various Instltutions

and organisatlons like AIIH&PH,IRCWD, UNDP - World Bank inIndia and abroad in the fleld of on-site sanitauon, formulated designcriteria for pour-flush water-seallatrines for the rural communltiesin India. The design criteriawhichInclude details of pollution aspectsalso arislng out from on-sitesanltatlon,suggestedguldeilnes forlocating leach pits and preseribedprecautlons to check pollutlon ofdrInking water sourcesand watersupply mains.

6. The Indian Standard Code ofPractice Bureau of IndianStandardaIndian Code of Practlce forSanitaüon with Leaching Pils forRural Communities (IS 12314-1987)haspreseribedsafedistancesand precautions to be taken in

varlous geological andhydrogeologicalsituations to guardagainstrisk of pollution of drinkingwater sources and water supplymains from on-site sanitatlon.Theseare

(A) Safe distance from drinking watersourtes -

i) In unsaturatedsoil condltions, thatis, where the distancebetweenthebottom of the pIt andthe maximumground-waterlevel throughout theyear is 2m and more

aj The plts can be located at aminimum distanceof 3m from thedrInkIng water sourcessuch as

tubewells and dugweils. 1f theefiéctive size (ES) of the soli is0.2mm or less; and

b) For doarser soils (with ES morethan 0.2 tam), the same dlstancecan be malntained if the pit issealed off by an imperviousmaterlal, sud! as puddle day orplastic sheet,anda 500 mm thidkenvelopeof fine sand of 0.2 mmefféctlve size is provided all roundthe pit.

ii) In wet pit or saturated soliconditions. that is, where thedIstancebetweenthe bottom of thepit and the maximum ground-waterlevel durlng any part of the year isless than 2 ma) The pits dan be located at a

minimum distance of 10 mfrom the drinking watersources,suchastubeweilsanddugweils 1f the ES of the sofi Is

0.2 mni or less; andb) For coarser soils (with ES

more than 0.2mm), minimumdistance of 10 m should bemalntalned 1f the pit Is sealedoff by an impervious material,

such as puddle day or plasticsheet, and a 500 mm thickenvelope of fine send of 0.2mm effective size Is providedall around the pit.

42

SULABH TEcHNOLOGY

iii) In both the abovecases(1) (b) and

(II) (b):a) The sand envelope should he

taken at least upto 2m abovethe possiblehighestmaximumwater level and edgeschamferedto seethat no waterstagnateson top of the sandfilling.

b) Where the bottom of the pit Issubmergedbelow the maximumground-waterlevel

1) The top of the pils should beralsed ahove the ground level.1f necessary,so Lhat the Inletpipe Into the pit Is at least0.75m above the maximumgroundwaterlevel;

11) The sand envelope Is takenupto 0.3 m above thetop of theInlet and confined sultably toexclude any surfâcedrainageincluding ram water directlyentering the sand efivelope;

1 ii) In mound type latrines, one mhigh earth filling should beprovided for at least 0.25 mbeyond the sandenvelopewIththe edges chamfered to leadaway the mln or surface water:and

iv) Thehoney-combbrick work forthe pit lining should besubstituted by briclc work incement mortar 1:6 with openverucalJolnts, that is. withoutmortar.

(S) Safe distance from water supplymalns.Lateral distance between the

leaching pit and the water mainshould be at least 3 m providedthe water table does not riseduring any part of the year abovethe pit bottom and the inlet ofpipe or drain to the leach pit isbelow the level of water main. 1fthe water table rises above thebottom of the pit, the safe lateraldistance should be kept as 8m. 1fthis cannotbe achieved,the pipes

shouldbe completelyencasedto alength of at least 3m on either sideof the pit. -

When the pits are located eitherunder the foot-path or under theroad. or the water supply main iswithin a clistanceof 3m from thepils, the tovert of the Inlet should

- be kept at least im below theexisting er mains. ‘flits wouldensure Li . - the llcÎuld level in thepils doesnot reachthe level of theWater main.

The water pipe should not cutacross the pit but - where this Isunavoidable,the water pipe shpuldbe completely encasedfor a lengthof 3 m on either side of pitInciuding the portion across the

-pit to prevent inflltration orexfiltration. No joint of waterrnain should be perinitted In thepit.

~tT~ÇHNÇ~jJ~iflQEUNgL;:~

The Mlnistry of Urban Dev’i~pment.Government of India and RegionalWater and Sanitation Group - - SouthMia - UNDP/World Bank Water andSanitatton program brôught outTechnicaiGuidelineson Twin-Pit Four-Flush Latrines’ In 1092. -Theseguideilneshave been prepxitd In a verfsystematic and obJectlve manner forready reference of fleld staf! o~design,constructionand maintenanceof pourflush latrines under the masslveprogramme of ilberation of scavengerslaunchedby Government of India. Theguidelines prescribed there in forpollution safeguardsare the sameasgiven in the Manual (TAG TechnicalNote No. 10), as suggested by theCommittee of Experts constituted toframe design criteria for ruralsanitation and the Indian StandardCode of Practice. These Indicate thatthe Sulabh technology preventsgroundwaterpollutlon. •

The guldelinesprescribed there infor poiiutionsafeguards are thesamè as given In -

the Manual (TAGTechnicai NoteNo, 10). assuggested by theCommitfee ofExperts constitutedto frame designôrlterla for ruralsanitatlon and theIndian StandardCode of Practice.

4i

- ui~R~I1Progress of mankind Is the result of asearch for the unknown. - J.M. Maxwe!I

Areas of research & development

Sulabh Is engagedIn the development

of new andsustalnable

technologles. theirImpiementatlon,

demonstratlon anddisseminatlon,

training andconsultancy In the

fields of low-costsanitatlon, low

maintenance wastewater treatment,

soild wastemanagement,

environment andpollutlon, etc.

T he Sulabh International Instituteof Technical Researchand Training

(SIITRAT), founded in 1984 by Dr.BindeshwarPathak provides technicalback-up to Sulabh InternationalSocialServiceOrganisationin the fields of low-cost on-site sanitation system. biogasgeneration from human waste (publictollets) andvegetablewastes,etc. In 1989,the Institute was shifted from Patna toNew Delhi. It got Its own registrattonunder the SocietiesRegistratlonAct inthe year 1993and permanéntpermissionof Foreign Contribution Regulatlon Actin 1997by the Ministiy of Home Affairs.Govt. of India. The Institute is engagedIn the development of new andsustainable technologies, theirimplementation, demonstration anddlsseminatlon,training andconsultancyin the fields of low-cost sanitation, lowmamntenancewastewaterIreatment,solidwastemanagement,environment andpollutlon, etc. The followings are someof the activities/achievements of theInstitute:

-~A~T~~~,TRENMENT,QY~I~J~L.The major problem wlth wastewater on-site treatment method Is that no viabletechnologyis avallable. The seweragetechnologyIs unaffordabledue to highimplementationandmaintenancecosts.This is the reasonwhy India has hardly230 towns/citieshavlngsuchtechnology-

out of about 4,800 towns and cities. -

Sulabh has taken up research-cunl-demonstrationproject on duckweedbasedlow-costwastewater treatmentin ruralaswell asurban areaswlth goodincomefrom pisciculture.Although duckweedis

found in abundance,due to absenceofknow-howof any such technology in thecountry, capacity and potential ofduckweedfor the wastewatertreatment,Its nutrient valueandeconomicbenefltshave not been exploited.

Duckweed - a small free floatingand fast-growing aquatic plant haseziormoui ability to reduce BOD, COD,suspendedsolids, heavy metals and eventoxic elements and bacterial and otherpathogensfrom the wastewater. It is a

iet&Tced Lof flsh and due to highcontentof proteins andvitamins A & C,Is highly nutritious for poultry andanirnals.flç yIelds of flshllncreûestwoto three timeswhen fed with duckweedthan that of natural feeds in ponds.SulabhInademonstratedin collaborationwith the All India Institute of Hygieneand Public Health, Calcutta, andInstituteof Public Health Engineers,Calcutta, threesuch projects one each funded by theCentral Follutlori Control Board, Delhi.Minisiry of Run! Areasand Ernployment.Govt. of India and the DanishInternational DevelopmentAssociation

(DANIDA). The study would help providea low-cost technologywhich would notonly treat wastewater but also give goodreturn on investment. It would encouragesmallandmediumtownsto take up wastewater treatment and Improve theenvironmentand health status of thepeople. Besides, It would provide goodemployrnentavenuesin rural aswell asurbanaréas. - - -

Dat-ing recent years. disposal of solidwastes has been ever an increasingproblenicausing serioushealth hazardsand envirorimentalpollutlon. Composting

44

i~&PJ

is an important method of biodegradabiesolid waste management having goodreturn by way of manure and soilconditioner. One of the importantlimitations with the compostingtechnology is that it requires not less35 days,making It difilcult to implementin townswhere largeamotmt of garbageEs produced every day. Further manualhandling during composting to tuitgarbage, makes It unhygienic andcumbersome. Sulabh InternationalInstitute of Technical ResearchandTraininghasdeve.oped a new technologyunder the gui& nce of Dr. P.K. Jha,Advisor Technical, which requires only5-6 days to make compost from anybiodegradable wastes without manua.lhandling during composting. Thetechnologyis basedon thermophilic andaerobic method. During composting thetemperature inside composterrises upto65-70°C.Al high temperature degradationof wasteaby thermophilic bacteria takesplace quickely and pathogens areelinilnated from the wastes. Tht practicalutllities of this technology are: i) organicsolid wastewill be efficiently convertedinto inanure and soli conditioner havingdirect/Indirect economicreturn, Ii) It willcontrol diseasestransmittedfrom wastes

as at high temperature pathogens areeliminated from the wastes, iii) thedumping feeof wasteswill be drasticallyreduced, iv) it will extendlife of landfllisand v) It will control weed spreadfromwastea.

LOW-MAINTENANCE -

W&~T~-WATER 7TREATMENT SYSTEM

There Is a technologicalgap betweensimple wastewater treatment like septictanks and large-scale often highlymechanlsaland sophisticatedwastewatertreatment system. There is need fordecentralised and low capital and lowmaintenancewastewater treatment. Thelow- maintenancewastewater treatmentsystem comprises sedimentation,

anaerobic fermentation, aerobic=degrndatjon~percolationandabsorptionby plants. SIITRAT has beenworking toconstruct and monitor the efficacy of

-pilot domestic waste water treatmentplantsfrom housingcolonies,hospitals,schoolsandotherInstltutions.This R&l1-cum-dernonstmtionof LOMWATS projectis funded by the European UnionCommission and executed incollaboration with i) Bremen OverseasResearchand DevelopmentAssociation(BORDA), Germany.ii) ChengdirEnergyEnvironment International Corporatlon{CEEIC), China. ifi) HangzhouResearchInstitute of Energy and Environment(HRIEE). China. iv) Qroup EnergiesRenounvelableset Environment(GERES),Tranc~ -

~~-BIOGASFROM -~ .~ . -

HUMAN-EXÔRÈÏX

The Institute bes been the pioneer inthe fleld of generationandütilisation ofbiogasfrom public tdflet complexes.Mtera series of experiments. under thefollowing proJectsfundedbjr the Mfrilst~yof Non-Conventional Energy Sources,Govt. of India, the lnslltute developedanew and effective designof biogasplantwhich has been approvedby the sarne-Ministry for Implementatlonthrough itsStatenodal agencieswith subsidy fromthe Ministry. (1) Techno-economicevaluationof humanexcreta-basedbiogasplantsfor communityuseandevaluationof plant designs, proceascontrol andpretreatmentof feedstockfor optlrnisationof and standardisationfor mixed feed.(2) Demonstrationand evaluAtionof~lurr~ effluentasmanire from Iarge sizehuman excreta biogas plants foragricultural purpose.

Basedon this design. 68 of biogaspiantshavebeenconstructedin differentstatesof the countrysofar. Perday biogasproduction capacity of these digestersvaries from 30 to 60 cum.Humanexcretâbased-biogas technology remainedunnoticed for long due to the fact that

Duckweed - a smallfree floatlng andfast-growlngaquatlc plant hasenormous ablllty toreduce BOD, COD,suspended sollds,heavy metals andeven toxic elementsand bacterlal andother pathogensfrom the wastewater. It Is acomplete feed forllsh and due tohigh content ofprotelns andvitamins A & 0, Ishlghly nutrftlous forpoultry andanlmals. The yleldsof fish lncreases twoto three tlmes whenfed with duckweedthan that of naturalfeeds in ponds.

Blogas Is utllised forcooklng, lightlngthrough mantle

Iamps. electrlcliygeneratlon and

body warmlngdurlng winter etc.

Cookln~Is the mostefficlent use ofbiogas. Biogas

burners areavallable In a wIde

range of capacltyranglng from 8 cftto 100 cff blogasconsumptlon per

hour, Blogas mantielamp consumes 4-5

cft equlvalent to40W electric buib

and 220 voit.

avallable technology was not sciciallyacceptableasit requlred manualhandlingof human excretawhich containsa fullspectrum of pathogens.The designdevelopedby SulabhInternationalInstitute

ofTechnicalResearchandTraining doesnot requlremanualhandiing of humanexcretaand there is complete recyclingand resourcerecovery from the wastes.Digesteris made undergroundtotowhichexcretafrom public toilets fiows undergravity. Inside digesterbiogasis produceddue to anaerobic fermentation by thehelp of methanogenicbacteria.Thebiogas,this produced, is collected over water ina separategas holder or Inside digesteritself depending upon the designof thedigester.Per userper day onecft biogasis produced.Humanexcretabasedbiogascontainsli5-66%methane32-34%céiljondioxide andresthydrogensuiphideandother gasesin trace amounts.

Biogas is utilised for cooking.lighting throughmantlelamps,electrlcitygeneratlon and body warming duringwinter etc. Cooking is the most eilicientuseof blogas.Blogasbuiten areavailablein a wide range of capacity rangingfrom8 cft to iOO cft biogas coriiuirqition perhour. Biogasmantle lamp consumes4-5 cft equivalent to 40W electric buiband 220 volt. Motive power can begeneratedby usingbiogas in dual fuelinternalcombustion(IC) engine.Air mixedwith biogas is aspiratedtoto the engine

andmixture is thea compressed,raisingits temperatureto about350°Cwhich isselfigriltion temperabreof diesel.Biogashas high (600°C)Ignitton temperature.

Therefore, in order to initiatecombustion of the charge, a smallquantity of diesel is injected into thecylinder Just before the end ofcompression.The charge Is thus ignitedand the processIs continuedsmoothly.At optimum condition only 20% dieselis required,rest (80%) is substitutedbybiogas. Biogas consumption by engine

is 15 cft/BHP/hour. A public convmienceused by about 2,000 persons per daywould produce approximately 60 cum of

blogaswhich con run a 10 KVA gensetfor 8 hours a day, producing 65 units pfpower. Suchelectricity is being suppliedfrom dawn to dusk aroundthe famousGandhiMaidanPatna(Bihar). Similarly,al the busstandRanchi(Bihar) electricityfrom biogas is being used to illuminatethis public place.

*REQ!~KTLQNQE

d~QhWJIiQNW\RAME~

Humanexcretacontainsa full spectrumof bacterial and other pathogenstransmitting more than 50 .types ofdl~easescausingover80% slcknessin adeveloping country. Some of theèdininoiily fouiii bacterialpathogensareEschertchtacoll, SaimoneUasps.Shigella

spsVlbr(o cholerae.Streptococcusspsem.Reductlonof bacterialpathogensduringannerobicfermentationof humanexcretahas beenstudied by this Institute. Thestudieshave revealed thatdependinguponthe bacterlal species up to 90-100%pathogensareelhninatedIn te effluenta3Ö days HRT(hydraulicretentiontime)of the digester. Simfiarly, protoznaand

belxninths are also eliminatecLBiogas plant helps to reduce

pollution loa& slgnlficantiy. Physico-chemicalcharacteristicsof cilluent showssubstantiairedudilon In the total solid.volatile solid, COD and BOD over thesevaluesin feed materlal.

t~Pa?’~É1~QM~j~WA1EItk~YAC1NTHANDeQYJi~Rh1iXWJEEQSWater hyaclnth is an aquatic, BeasonAlaridprolilematicweedof natlonalconcern.Howesrer,it hasanadvantagethat it is agoodsuhstratefor biogasgeneration TheGovt. of India formulatedaTaakForceto

get rid of this weed. Stoce this weed Isseasonal,biogasplant based on this feedbecomesnon-functional during summer

46

- ~~trc~

due to unavailability of this weed. Thisorganisation has successfullydemonstratedthatbiogascanbe producedfrom this weed throughout year afterharvestingit, drying andpulverising.Thepulverisedweedcanbe easily transportedand used for biogas generationthroughout year. The Institute hasalsocanied out a series of experimentsonbiogas generatlonfrom vegetables/fruitwastes and house-hold kitchen wasteswith or without using human wastes.Better resultswereobtainedwhenhumanwaste and vegetablewaste were fed incombinallon.It showedan additive effect.

POt) RFLIJSH WATERSEALTWIN PIT LATRINES

Althoughthe conceptof pour flush water-sealtwin pit latrinepopularlynow knownas Sulabh Shauchalayawas developedmuch beforeby Dr. BindeshwarPathak,Founder, Sulabh International SocialServiceOrganisation,than the Institute(SIITRAT) wasestabllshed.However, thisInstitute developeda numberof modeisof Sulabh Shauchalayasbasedon locailyavallablematerlaIsand to suit peopleofdifferent economicstrata. The Institutecarried out experimentson migraüonofdifferent pathogensfrom pit in soil. Thestudiesconductedin collahoratlon withthe All India Inst.itute of Hygiene andPublic Health, Calcutta, revealed thatthere is no chance- of ground waterpollution from Sulabh Shauchalayaifhydraulic bad of the pit is kept for twoto three iitres of water-per use. The panand water-sealareso designedthat thismuch amount of water is sufficient toilush out excreta. In conventionalpanand trap about 10 iltres of water isrequired to fiush. There is slightmodification of the design of SulabhShauchalaya espectally in case ofrectangularpits that preventsfiows ofwater from the pit in-use to the next pit.The Institute hasalsocarriedout aseriesof experimentson thepercentageviability

of different pathogens In the pits with

respectto retentiontimeof human wastes.The studies have revealed that there isnearcompleteabsenceof pathogensfromdigestedsludgeof the pit when takenoutafter two years of resting perlod.Sometimescysts of helminths persist atthis period. When the sludge is sun-dried for 2-3 weeksit becomesfree fromall these pathogens. The dried andgranulated inanure is odourless andcompletely free from pathogens.

The Institute under takes theconstruction of household SulabhSauchalayasin Delhi and acijoiningstates.through its well trained staff. The majordifficulty in use of human excreta asmanureis the presenceof bacterialandother pathogens.Humanexcretacontainsa full spectrum of pathogens causingvarlousInfections. It shouldbe free frompathogensbeforebeingusedasmanure.

MAÛ4URLFRQM -

±LUMAN$(CRETA

Another problem is psychobogicaland- religious taboos. The studiescarriedout

by this Institute have revealed thatcontents(excreta)of SulahhShauchalayapit is almost free from pathogenswhentaken out after two yearsof restlngperiod.To make it completely pathôgen freedigestedsiudge is sun dried 0r 2 to 3weeks. During drying, sludge forms biglump like making it difficult to mix insoil homogeneously.The Institute hasdevelopeda technologyto granulate suichdried lumps into smaIl size graded

-- granuleswhich look like processedtealeaves.Befdregranulatfti~it ii~rocessedIn a bali mill to break Into small pieces.Then it is passedthroug~themassmixer

where moisture content of manure isregulatedby addingwater.S1.!ch manurehas good percentagçdfpiantirntrients.Besides, it increaseshumus and waterholdingcapacityof the solI. TheInstitutehas carried out experlinentsto see itsmanurial effects on different vegetabbesand flowering plants. In all the cases

tested, effect of manure was much

This organls4lon hassuccessfully

- demonstrated thdt- - blogas can be

produced from thisweed throughoutyear after harvestingit, drying andpulverlslng. Thepulverlsed weedcan be eosliytransporfed andused for blogasgeneratlonthroughout year.

47

_-~~

Dr. BindeshwarPathc$ estabiished

a ConsuitancyDMsion at Delhi inthe year 1986. This

unit is now a part ofthe Sulabh

internationaiinstitute of TechnicaiResearch & Training.

48

encouraging.

VERMJCOMPQSTIFG

Vermi-cornpostingis an importantmethodfor compostmg vegetable wastes. Themethod is more suitable for rural areas.This institute has successfullydemonstratedthe technology. Vermi-compost has comparatively highernitrogen content One of the importantdrawbacksof this systemis slowprocess.The institute is engagedin minlmislngthe time requirementby enhancingthegrowth rate of vermiworms.

In order to assisttheState governments,local authorities,otherorganisationsandInstitutes in drawing up project :eportsfor implementation of bow costsanitation.water supply and biogasproduction fromhuman wasteIn rural as well as urbanareasand to give technicalguldanceandadvice to varlous stateoffices of SubabhInternationalSocialServiceOrganisation,its founder Dr. Bindeshwar Pathakestablisheda Consultancy Division atDelhi In the year 1986.This unit Is jiow

a part of the Sulabh InternationalInstitute of Technical Research &Training. For the preparation of detailedproject reports on 10w cost sanitationfollowing stepsare taken• Study the existlng sanitation

farilities and the plan proposals ofthe localgovernmentfor introductionof sewerage; popubation and areaserved;

• Studythe existingandplannedwatersupply system,populationservedandwater use pattern;

• Evaluation of the on-goIng latrineprogrammes:

• Selection of most appropriateandoost- effective low-cost technologicaloplion dependingon-- geoiogical and hydrogeological

features;-- physical features of the area,

land use, density and numberof personsIn the household;

-- demograpbicfeaturesof thearea;-- -socio-cultural habits and- custom.s,behaviours,beliei~and

attitude relatlng to sanitation;-- house-to-housesursreyto study

the presentsanltationstatusinthe householdsand to know thefamily size. drinking watersource,availability ofelectricity.type of latrlne/noiatrine In the

household,avalbability of spacefor construction of batrine and

leach pils (within the premisesand out side the premises),

- -- - income/expenditure~pfthe-~ householdandwillingnesstopay

for the construction of toilet Inthe household;

- -- - assessingthe need and site- --- selectionfor communhy toilets.

• Studyof affordablilty, acceptability.avaliability and awareness;basedon -

this~stüdy the communicationsüppôrt actMtiesaredesigned;

• Preparationof designs;drawingsandi~ostesthnatês;

• Suggestingmeasuresandprecautions- - for pollution control;

• Suggesting an appropriateinethodobogy for construction ofSulnbhShauchalayas(twin pit pour-flush toilits) and SulabhShauchalayaComplexes(conunurUtytoiletswith bath, laundryand urinalfacilities)

• ldentlfication of sultable Institutionfor ixnplementation : study of theavailability, capablllty and capacityof local institutions-gaveniïnental.non-governmentaland private toimpiement low-cost sanitation;suggestlnga proper marketinganddelivery systemIncluding assessingtrainIng and monitoring needsandsuggeslionsto give legal support tothe prograrnme:assesslngthe staffrequlrementfor the opemtion andmaintenanceof community toilets;

• Discussion on financial issues

inciuding funding of the project,financing pattern, loan/grantadministration; boon recovery andmerits of operatingthe coinmunitytoileis on pay & usesystem;

• Operationand maintenance;• Suggesting an appropriate

impiementatlonplan;

• Training and rehabilitation ofliberated scavengersand their wards;

• Whibe designing the Sulabh

Shauchalaya complexes,a.rchitectural features are cbosebyexamined. Traditionalarchitecturalfeaturesof the town are adoptedandefforts are made to blend thèm withthe suntundingarea; -

• Landscapeis done to make thecomplexeaaestheticallyattractive.Plantationof ever green frees andshrubsareproposedto createshadefor the usersand to act asabufferzone between the compbex andsurroundlngs.

GAN~A,AÇTIONPLAN,

Sulabh International bnstitute ofTechnical Research & Training wasInvobvedIn the prestigIousproject-GangaAction Planfor preventionof poilution ofriver Ganga. It has preparedprojectreports for constructing SulabhShauchaiayasand Stilabh Compbexesforthe cities of Aliahabad, Kanpur andVaranasi etc. in U.P., Patna andBhagalpurand few other towns in Bihar.The total value of works for which theprojeciswerepreparedunderGangaActionPlancomesto aboutRs. 14 crores. The

impbementation of these projects wasdone by Sulabh. The Institute is atpresentactively engagedIn the NationalRiver ConsersraüonProjectof Government

of India. For the Government of theNetherlands assisted environmentalimprovement project of Kanpur andMirzapur under the CongoAction Plan,the institute had collaboratedwith theNetherlands based consulting firms(Haslconing and Euroconsuit)In preparing

liie Institutehasprepareddetalledprojectreports on low oost sanitation for anumberof townsto makethenisravengingfree by conversioriof bucket privies toSulabh Shauchalayasand constructionof new onesIn houseswhere therewereno iatrines. The projeetsalso Includedconstruction of Sulabh ShauchabayaCompbexes for comnluters, floatingpopubation, rickshaw pullers, pavementdwebbers and for suchhouseholdswhichdo not have spacefor Indivlduéi Iairlnesor can not afford to havçdha~5chemcs-

for trainingand rehabilltatlonof Iiberatedscavengersand their wwds tormed anIntegralpartof theseprojects.It has alsopreparedprojectsforestablishingtrainingfaclilties for the liberate(lscavengërsandtheirwardsIn Assam,Rajasthan.MadhyaPradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,Manipur, Tripura, Punjab, ArunachalPradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

TheInstitutehaspreparedanumberof projectsfor constructiqn,operationand

- maintenanceof community tollets withbath, laundry and urinal facibities forvarious authorities like municipabcorporations,municipailtiescaütonmentboards,railwaysetc.

t±ANPPRQJEÇT~~’

The World Banksoughtthe assistanceof

SPLENDID BEATJTYLeave It undisturbed

The proJects alsoInciudedconstruction of -

Suiabh Shauchaiayacomplexes forcommuters, floatingpopulation, rickshawpuilers, pavementdweliers and forsuch househoidswhlch - do ot havespace for indMdualiatrines or cannotatford to havethem,

49

project reports on low-cost sanitation.

!&D1

SulabhInternationalInstituteofTechnicalResearch& Training to collect data andInformation on the statusof rund watersupplyandsanitationdevebopmentsectorIn sevenstatesIn India.

Al the request of Government- ofUttar Pradesh,the Institute prepared areport to lay down criteria and guidancefor selectingvlilages and districts to Itincluded In the Integrated Rural WaterSupply and Environmental SanitationProject of Uttar Pradeshfor the WorldBank assistance.

The Sulabh International- Instituteof Technical Research& TrainIng wasassociatedwith consultIng EngineeringServices(India) Pvt. Ltd. (i) In identificationof bow-cost sanitation alternatives forMadrascity, (ii) In providIngconsultancyto Governmentof Keraba for the WorldBank assistedTrivandrumSewerageandSanitation ImprovementProject: (iii) on“Low cost Sanitation under theEnvironmentalSanitationProgranimeinthe city of Madras and Adjacent UrbanAreas”; (iv) “community Awareness,Environment and Heabth EducationStudies Under the EnvironmentalSanitation Programmein the city ofMadras” and (v) “Low cost SanitationInthe city of Kozhlkode (Kerala) and theAdjacentPanchayatAreas”. -

AL the request of the RoyalGovernment of Bhutan, the Instituteprepared detaibed project reports forconstruction,operationandrnalntenanceof community toilets with bathing andurlnal facilities on ‘pay and use’ system

nature. at Thimphu (capitab of Bhutan) andPhuntsholing. Similarby a project forconstruction,operationand maintenanceof community toilets at Kathmandu,Nepalwas also prepared.

~WALUAT1ON& STUPY ~

AL the request of the HUDcO, theinstitute carriedout evabuationstudy of

low eastsanlintionprogrammein MadhyaPradesh. The Human SettbementManagementInstitute (HSMI) of HUDCOin collaboration with the Institute ofHousIngandUrbanDevebopmentStudies(IHS), Rotterdam tookup a Governmentof Netherbandsassisted collaborauveproject, “CapacityBuilding for the UrbanEnvlronment: A comparativeResearch,Training and Experience Exchange”.Experienceacibtainedthroughtheresearchstudycm the operationalstrategiesof bestpractices for urban environmentalmanagementwaspresentedin Habitat II- te Second U.N. Conferenceheld atIitanbiilin Juné11996.Al the requestofHSMI, Sulabh International Institute ofTechnicalResearchand Training carriedout a research-cum-case study on“Integrated Low-costSanltation IndianExperiences” to provide insight onCapacity Buibding into environmentalmanagementeainpbesof best practiceswlth potentialof its scalingup and widerreplication. -

ci&4INLNG AND -

L~WUÇATFQN

In order to incubcate job skibls toimplement,operateandmaintainvariousIow east water supply and sanitationschemesand human waste fed biogasplants,the SulabhInternationalInstituteof Technical Research& TrainIng runsrefresher/trainIngcourses for thesewhoare working or Intend to work In thesefl~lds.In the coursesdue stzessIs givenon the Importanceand need of softwareinputs viz. awareness. health andsanitationeducation, personalhygiene,motivaticij, publkity etc.whicharecrucialfor the suecessof social programmes ofthis nature. Training modules andlitentureareprepaked.ExpertsIn differentdiscipilnesavailablewith theInstitute aswell as Invited from outsideare engagedfor tratning. •

The SulabhInternational

instftute ofTechnical Research

& Training runsreftesher/tralningcourses for those

who are working orIntend to work in

these fields. in thecourses due stress Is

given on theImporfance andneed of sofiware

inputs vlz.awareness, heaith

and sanitationeducation, personai

hyglene,motivation, pubiicity

etc. whlch arecruclal for the

success of sociaiprogrammes of this

50

PERCEPTION & COMMENTS~ ~

In this century, more people dled of sanitatlon -

related diseases than In global confllcts - WHO

Magnitude of sanitation problem

() f the estimated3.5million childrenwho die from diarrhoealdiseases

eachyearin developIngcountries.almost600,000 die from the sanitation-rebatedailmentsalane.This diseaseis endemicthroughoutthe world. Refugeepopulationand chlldrensufferlng from malnutritionareamongthebadlyaffected.Durlng 1994.

dysenterywasthe leadlngcauseof deathin the Rwandan refugee camps inBurundi, Tanzania,and Zake.ElsewhereIn Africa, 11 countrieswerehit by waterrelatedepidernlcsIn 1994 In Asia. Thereare four clinically important speciesof

Shtgellae(dysentery) but mast life-threatenIngdiseasesare causedby justtwo species- S. dysenteriaeandS.fiavzert- and by 5 seratypes. S. sonnei is theleadIng cause of endemic disease inIndustrialisedcountries. In 1993 it wasresponsibbefor over 90 per cent of casesof dysenteryreportedIn the United States.And, all of them are causedIn uncleanareas.

Vtbrio cholerae- one of the obdestscaurgesknown to men - causesabout5.5 million casesof choberaevery year

and about 120,000deaths. Over a flfthof those deathsoccur amongchlldrenunderfive and aquarterIn childrenaged5 to 14. Mast cholera deaths occur InAfrica and Asia. Without treatment(rehydrationtherapyandantibiotica)it is

one of the mast dangerous Infectiousdiseases- leadlng to &tallty ratesashighas40 percent.The diseaseIs associatedwith paverty, paar sanitatian, lack ofhygleneand unsafedrinking water. It isspreadby contaminatedwater or faod andby persan-to-personcontact.

In 1991, there were more casesofchaleraand more countriesware affectedby the diseasethan In any other yearanrecord. Both Latin America and Africawarehit by explosiveepidemics.The firstoutbreakaccurred in Peru and rapidlyspread thraughout south and Central

America - spatingonly sevencauntries.More than4,000peopbedied. In thesameyear,amajor epidemiesweptaaossAfricakilling 14,000peapleIn over20 countries.In India and Bangladeshthe emergenceof anewstrainofV. chaleraewasreportedIn the 1992 follawing an Initial autbreakIn Chenrisi fallowed by anatheramangfishermenaxi remoteislandsIn the Bayaf Bengal. The new strain spreadrapidlyto China, Malaysia. Myanmar.NepalandPakistaninvolving thousandsof deaths -

mainly arnangadults. flils is the reportof the World Health Organisatian1996.

As a matterof fact, the survtvalandwebi-being of a nattan depend onsustalnabledevelapment.It is a processaf sacial and economie growth thatsatisfies the needs and values of allinterest graups. Water supply andsanitatianareessentialrequirementsforsustainable devebopment. The formerWorld Bank, Chairman. RabertMacNamara,hadremarkedthat for bettereconomie growth rate and higherproduduvity,emphasishasto be given tothe health af the peapbe far whichpravisian of public utilities like watersupply and sanitatian Is necessary.Benefitsaf safewater arelimited withautaanitatian. Due to Insanitation watercoursesgetpailuted, Incidenceof diseasesrises,labourfarce is affected,productivityaf Industry and agriculture fails puttIngstresseson budgetaryresourcesneededfor development and to strengthentheecanomy. Invariabby people who areunserved with basic facilities of watersupply and sanitatianare the poor ones.They lack nat only the meansto havesuch facilities but also Information onhow to minimise the ill effects ofInsanitaryconditionsIn which they live.

Due to rapid anduncontralledurbangrowth, nearly half of the papulation IncitiesIn devebopIngcounhrieslive In slums.pavementsand shantytowns.TheIr health

Human excreta isthe cause of manyenteric diseasessuch as choiera,dysentery, typhoid,paratyphold,infectlous hepatitis,hookworm,diarrhoea etc.Studies reveal thatover 50 infectionscan be transferredfrom a diseasedperson to a heaithyone by varlousdirect or indirectroutes from excretaand cause nearly60% sickness Indevelopingcountries.

PERCEPT1ON & COMMENTS

and physlcal weil-beirig are jeopardisedby Inadequate sanitation and garbagedumped in the arijaining places afhabitatton. The debilitating effects ofinsanitary living canditions anddeteriorating enviranment lower the

productive potential af the very peoplewho canleastafford it. Arnong the poor.the womenand childxen suffer the mast.

Sanitation is a broad term andIncbudeswater supply. disposalof humanwaste, waste water and solid waste,control of vectarsof diseases,domesticand personalhygiene. food sanitatlon,housIng etc.The scopeof sanitationmayvary and emphasis may shift with theneedand communittes, but In devebopingcountries, safedisposalof human wasteis veryvital for impraving the healthandenvironment.HumanexcretaIs thecauseof manyenteric diseases-suchascholera.dysentery,typhoid. paratyphoid,Infectiaushepatitis, hookwarm, diarrhoea etc.Studiesreveal thatover 50 Infectionsconbe transferredfrom a diseasedperson toahealthyone byvariausdirector indirectroutesfrom excretaandcausenearly80%sicknessIn developIngcountries.In India.about 4 to 5 hundredthousancichlldrendie of diarrhoeaidiseaseseveryyear.

Considerable progress has beenmost. madein the country in the fleldof safe

water supply but sanltaüon sector hasremalnedneglected.‘fl-ie peopleare notaware of the health and envlrorunentabbenefitsof sanitatianand It Is stil nota febt need far mast of them. This isevident from the fact that even afterseveral projects uridertakenduring theInternationalDrinking WaterSupply andSanitation Decade(1981-91) and thereafterhardly20% of theurbanpopulatlônhave access to flush arrangementsconnectedto seweragesystem, 14% haveacceasto water-bornetoilets corinectedto septic tanks, 33%~(13 millionhousehold)haveburket or chy priviesandthe remaining 33% da not have anylatrines in their houses.they resort toapen air defecation. In rural areasthesitunilan Is worse, only 3% af the ruralpopulation 1.e. 3.4 mlilian out of 112

million househoidshaveaccessto sanitalytoilets.

In India, themajorcauseaf concernis the exlstenceofmillions af bucket anddry latrines.The Task Farce for tacklingthe problems af scavengers and theirrehabilitation constituted by thePlanningCornmisslon,Governmentaf India In itsreport (1990-91) had assessedthat thenumberofbucket/dryprivies In India isabout 76.4 lakhs, of which 54.2 lakhsexist in urban areas.In towns and cities,humanexcretafrom thebucketsis oftenspilbed in the vicinity duringtransportatlonto We dtsposaisite. It is acommon sight to find excretaflowing Inopendrainsduetodefecatianby chlldrenaswell asmanyatimeby aduits. Washingfrom thebucketprivlesand the hazardousseptic tank effluent also find their waymin the drains flowing In front of thehouses.~Age-oldunheaithy practice ofopen air defecationanduseof bucket/dryprivies are a potentiai hazard to healLhand hygiene and expose the entirecommunity to faul environment andpollute theriversandotherwater courses.

- - From the above It is evident thatthe situauonaf aafe disposal af humanwaste Is very appalling in the country.Nearly 89% of the totalpapulationor 135million households (about 750 milhianpeople)eitherdefecatein the openor usebucket/dry prlvies or use communitytoilets, if available.Variousstudiescarriedout In Indiaandabraadhaverevealedthatthe Impactof safedisposalof humanwastebaar been particularly significant inreducing morbidity and mortality fromgastro--enteric diseasesand helmInthicinfection. The exlstenceof bucket priviesbas bed to the demeaningpractice offfianual handling of human waste byhumanswhich stigmatiseda- partlcular

- castecalled‘scavenger’.Apart from beinga-degrading Inhuman practice manualscavengingof bucket/dry privles posedmanyhealthhazardsand is a blot on ourcivillsaüon.The greatestweaknesain thescavengingsystem is the employmentafscavengers which is a human rlghtsquestion. •

The debilitatingeffects of insanitary

iMng conditionsand deterlorating

environment iowerthe productive

potenilal of the verypeopie who can

least afford It.Among the poor,the women and

chlldren suffer the

52

PERCEPT!ON~_&.~S?~MEN!L

Sulabh and Sanitation

Manual scavenging Is also ahuman rlghtsquestlon- UNICEF

F Ifteen biliton years ago, the earthhlccupped and NASA scientista

heard the echo the other day. The BigBang theorymay or may not be provedbythe US NatlonalAeronautlcsand SpaceAdmlnlstxatlon’s Cosmic BackgroundExplorer’s 8atellite (COBE), but It Isevident that man has been plunderingthe good old earth since Adam and Evedecided to wear clothes and make love.The 5.5 blillon peopleliving on theearthabove water have been reckiesalyproliferating and consumingavldly theglfts of nature. It has been contlnuingsincetime beganandthe largestand theoldest of structures took shape forhumans to live and breathe.But, isseems,the llnitt to growth bas reachednow when the earthmay split to end Indeluge and begin things all over again.The rich countries of the world are sofrlghtenedthat theyca]ledtogether50,000personsfrom over 100 countrieson June1992 year at Rio de Janeiroin Brazil toflnd ways of avertingthis disaster.

To keepthe earthcleanand ilvableIs a major humanresponsibilitytowardstheearth.Sanitation,therefore,conlinuesto be a critical component ofenvironment.The talk of hyglene,heaithand sanitatlonetc., In the samebreathas depletion of the ozone layer, globalwarming. etc.,mayappearsomewhatoutof place, but the degradatlon of theImmediatesurroundingsIn whlch weliveshould be as Important to us as the

problem of global erwironmentaldeficit.There is no other personwhom we canblame for the fflth and degradationinour mlcro-envlromnentand1f we do notbecomeconsclousof our responsibilitles

In thesematters,the consequencestopublic health and quality of life con bedisastrous.

The garbage-disposal practices

prevalentin villagesand towns of IndI~ansub-continentareanotherIndlcatorof ourlack of concernfor the ,cleanllnessof thesurroundingswe live in. Even In areasInhabited by relatively affluent andeducatedpeople,dumpingrubbishon thestreetsandsiclewaiksIs anormalpractice.The public roads. they seemto think,belong to nobody and ~hoUd be treatedas garbagebins. 1f there are garbagereceptacles.the placeswere they are keptsoon become the ifithiest parts of the

streetbecauseof lack of concernon thepart of those uslng thern, and lack ofattention on the part of those who areresponsiblefor malntainlngthem. Worse,the constantraids on garbagebins byarmiesof ragpickers.whosenumberss~mto be growIng~-urichecked, have madegarbagebinsmoreof ahealthhazardthanan ald to cleanllness.

Lack of hyglene and sanitatlon inour househoids,villages and towns basbeenIdentifiedasone of the major causesof the high Inddence of maternal andInfant mortality in India. It should be amatterof serlousconcernto us that outof 5,000,000women who dle every yearfrom pregnancyand chlld-blrtb related

causes. 25% belong to India. Infantmortality rate has been universallyacceptedas a reliable Index to judge thestandardsof thehealthof the peopleandthe cleanliness, or lack of It, In thedwelling placeshas been recogelsedasone of the Important factors liiflûenclngInfant mortality rate. It has beencalculatedthatout of 40,000chlklren whodie everyday In the world, 10,000 areIndlan andIn most casesthedeathsaredue to lack of properstandardsof hygleneand sanitatlon.

The main componentof sanitatlanIs thesafeandhygienicdisposalof humanexcreta.Ad estimatedthreebililon people

Lack of hygleneand sanitation inour househoids,vlilages and townshas been identifledas one of the majorcauses of the highIncidence ofrnaternai andinfant mortailty inIndia, It should bea matter of serlousconcern to us thatout of 5,000,000women who dieevery year frompregnancy andchlld-blrth relatedcauses, 25% belongto India.

PERCEPTLON & CQMMENTS

In the developlngcountries defecateInthe openor useInsanitary latrines, - 700million in India alone.The pollutlon thuscausedis more than can be measuredInunderstandableIndices. A largenumberof diseases,Inciuding diarrhoea,gastro-enteritis,jaundlce, hepatitis and yeilowfeverarecausedby opendefecation.WHOsaysthat80%of thediseasesin theThirdWorld are causedby contaminatedwaterand Insanitary conditlons.Therefore, thepollutlon causedby open defecatlonIsthe major concern of the Third Worldcountries.

Environment came on the world’sagendaafter It was discoveredthat thegrowth, anda veryrecklessone at that;has laken place at the cost of naturewhosecapacity to meet man’s needsIsllmited. Sincegrowth Is resnurce-based.thehigherthe growthIn termsof humanconsumptlon, the thinner the support-line to sustainIt. Populatlon.mostly IntheThird World countries,doubledduringthe last thlrty years and the frlghifultechnologlesto exploitnature’sresourcesdlmlnlshed the posslbillty of humancivllization lasting forever.

The population In developlngcountriesIs Incerasingat a veryfastrate.The infrastructural facilitles like watersupply, safe disposal of human waste,solidwasteandwastewaterdlsposalarenot ableto keep pacewith the growth ofpopulatlon. Due to rapid urbanisation,nearlyhalf the populatlonIn towns livein slums, pavements and shanty

countlles. townships.Theirhealthandphyslcalwell-being are threatened by Inadequatesanitation.‘Ibey are the oneswho suffermost from thevlcious cycle of ffl-heaith.loweredproductivecapacityandhardshlpsIn a deterloratIng environment. Thewomen and children are the worstsufferers.

Sanitatlonhasmanylinkages,mostImportantamongthembeingwatersupplyandsafeandhygienicdisposalof humanwaste. Sanltatlon Is notonly keeplngclean but protecting those sourcesofenvironmentwhlch support sustalnable

development.Sanitatlon broadly covershumanexcreta,wastewater.solid wasteand evenpersonalhyglene, houslngetc.The scopeof sanitatlon may vazy andemphasIsmayshift wlth the needsof thecomrnunltles;but in a developingcountrylike India, safedisposalof humanexcretaIs themost challengingproblem. both Inrural and urbanareas.

Safewatersupply andsanitatlonarevital for proteetlng the envlronment,Improvlng health,alleviating povertyandimprovlng quallty of life. The developingprograrnmes,howeverInnovatlve,arenotlikely to yteld desired resuits unlesaenvlionmentalsanitatlonand ecologyareimprovedandprotected.Nearly two blllionpeople (about a thlrd of world’spopulatlon) are without adequatebasicsanitatlonfacifities andby the year2000thenumbermay increaseto 3 billion. InIndia, more that 750 million peopleoutof 950 mifilon population eitherdefecatein the openor useInsanitarybucket/dryprivies cleanedmanually or comrnunityfadilttles.

Insanitatjonhaswide-spreadefTects:water sourcesgat polluted, Incidenceofdiseasesrises,affectingbifilons of peopleall over theworld, labourforce is affected,productlvlty of Industry and agriculturefalis putting stresses on budgetaryresourcesneededfor development andstrengthenlngthe economy. Invurlablypeople who are unserved wlth baslcfacifitles of water supply and aanitatlonare the poor ones.They lack not only themeans to have such faclllties buL alsoInformation on how to minimise the 111-effeets of Insanitary conditlons in whlchthey live. Poverty breeds diseaseanddiseasebreedspoverty.HIgh rateof chfldmorta]Ityencouragescouplesto havemorechtldren, resultlng In Increase inpopulatlon.

HumanexcretaIs the causeof manyenteric dlseases such as cholera,dysentery.typhold. paratyphold,infediloushepatItis,hookworm, diarrohoea etc. Over50 Infectlons eaube transferredfrom adiseasedperson to a healthy one by

54

A large number ofdiseases, Inciudingdlarrhoea, gastro-enteritls, Jaundlce,

hepatitis and yellowfever are caused by

open defecatlon.WHO says that 80%

of the diseases. Inthe Third World are

caused bycontaminated

water and Insanftaryconditlons.

Therefore, thepoHullon caused byopen defecation Isa major concern of

the Third World


varlous direct or indIrect routes fromhumanexcmeta.Approprlatehumanwastemanagement should be the prlmaryobjectlve of Improvedsanitationto builda healthlernatlon and provide a dleanerenvironment.

IMPACT OF G000SANJTATIQN

The impact of improved sanitatlon onhealt.h has beenparticularly slgnificantIn reducingmorbidity and mortailty fromgastro-entericdlseaseand helminth.Icinfection. Suchstudiesfrom varlouspartsof the world were also conductedby Dr.Feachemof LondonSchoolof Health andTropIcalMedicine.The studyindlicatedtherelatlve Importance of alternativeprevenilve strategies concerningwatersupply, sanitatlonand healtheducatlon.It gave a rough gulde to the over-allrelative tmportance of the preventivemeasuresconsldered;

Excreta disposal 25; Excretatreatment 15; Personal and domestlccleanllness18; Waterquality 11; Drainageandsullagedisposal6; andFôodhygiene17;

It con, therefore, be coneludedthathealth impact of supply of clean wateralone Is limlted. However, carefullydeslgnedprogranuneswhich ctmnblnewaterquallty wlth improvementsin wateravallabtllty. sanitatlon and hygieneeducatlon have the potential to besuccessftiL

SANITATLON STATU ,:IN INDIA ~ ~

Open defecatlon In IndIa has been amatter of habit and convenlence.This

hablt becamea tradition which hasnowurbanizatlonand population exploslon.the problem has taken a catastrophic

dlmenslon. In India the existence ofmillions of bucket and dry lalrines Is amajorcauseof concern. 76.4lakh bucket/dry privles exlstof whlch 54.2 lakhs are

In urbanarea. Theseare a potentialhazardto healthenvironmentandhygleneand exposethe entlre communlty to fordenvironmentand pollute the rivers andother water sources.SinceexcretaIs notproperly, collectedand disposedof, It Isllkely to get accessto water supply,contanilnatefood through ifies and causehookworms related - dlseases.consumptlon of polluted water andcontarninatedibodandexposureof peopleto polluted environinent transmitpathogeni~mlcro-organisrnsfrom slekpersonsto healthy ones,The diralnishedwork-capacityIs a sourc~of poverty. -

Hardly20%of the ûrTtpopulatinhave access to flush arrangementsconnectedto seweragesystem;14% haveaccessto water-bornetoilets connectedto septlctanks. 33% have bucket or cityprMes and the remaining 33% do nothaveany latrinesin their houses.In ruralareasthe situatlonis wcirse,only 10% oftheruralpopulatlonhasaccessto toilets.From the above it is evident that thealtuatlonof safedisposalofhuman wasteis appalling In the country. Bi-Ingingabout a change in the centurlesold sub-human and uxrhygiIctitdftloüilpracticeof openair defedatlon and useofbucketor dmy prlvles cleanedmanuallybya partlcular class of people calledscavengersarethe challengingproblems.

Provisionoi~Sulabh~hauclm1ayasInIndlvidual householda as well asconimunityplacesprevenlsitidlscrinilnateopen-air defecatlon and lmproves thehealthandhygleneof the comnmunity, soalso the envlronment. Women andchildren especlallybenefit becausetheyare theworst sufferers.The Sulabh toiletcomplexes restore human dignity byproviding facilitles for defecatlon andbathlng In privacy to those who aredeprived of theseamenitles. A betterquahtyof life follows, making the fhmilyconsclousof the need for better healthand environmentwithin andoutsldetheirdwelling house. About one crore (tenrnllllon) peoplein India use the facilitiesprovidedby Sulabhdally in over700,000

Sanifation broadiyCovôrs humanexcreta, wastewater, solid wasteand even personalhygiene, houslng~etc, The scope ofsanifatlon may varyand emphasis mayshift with the needsof the communltles;but 1n a developingcountry like India,safe disposal ofhuman excreta isthe mostchaliengingproblem, both Inrural and urbanareas.

55


Individual househoidsandat nearly 3.000Sulabh toilet ccimplexes.This indicatesthe popularity and acceptability of the

~ AN~A~IITATION WUCATION

Sulabh reallseti - that alongwlthImprovement of sanltatton. elementaryhealth educatlon Is neciewsary.Most ~ sium is where Suiabltpeople,especlallythe poor; are riot aware werk startsof health and environmentalbenefits of - - - - - -

improved sanitatlon. Thetr priorliles ar~ L~ei~_MotlvaU~g~-different. Latrine Is not a felt-need forthem. They are also not aware of theavailability of affordable technologicaloptions. General awareness andcommunity’s involvement in the soclalprogrammes develop self-rellance andconfidencein thecommunity.Sulabhbassetup primaryhealthcarecentresat someof the community toliets where healthandhygleneeducatlon Is given to slum-dwellers.

people In. use latrlnes by itself Is notsufflcientto promotesanitatlori. l-lealthandhygieneeducatlonhastobesustalnedover a long period of time. It Is in this

- area- that voluntary organisallonswlth -

involvementof women asiadilitatorsandcatalystscan play a crüclal rcile. Theywill be better equipped to ensurecouimunlty participatlon for providingbenefitsto the peoplethan are possiblein other set-ups. Sulabh bas trained alarge number of women in urbanslums.

India faces a formtdable task ofmeetingthe heallh and sanitatianneeds

~ of 950 million people..The Governmentslone cannot handle the sltuatlon. TheNGOs can work as a link and catalytic

agentsIn bi-inging about a harrnonlous -

interactionbetweenthe Governmentandcommunity by - mobllising people’s -

participatlon.As au NGO and a non-profitsocial service arganisallon, Sulabh hasset up asuccessfulmodel in india forhumanwastemanagementfor lmprovlngthe quailty of life. •

From the above It is jstem

evident that thesifuatlon of safe

disposal of humanwaste is appafllng

in the country.Bringing about a

change In thecenfu~esold sub-

human andunhyglenic

traditional practiceof open air

defecafion and useof bucket or dryprivles cleanedmanually by a

partlcutar ciass ofpeopie cafled

scavengers are thechailenging

problems.

OF WOMEN..QR~MISAUÇ~S

Women are the worst sufferers due tonon-availability of these facllities.Becauseof absenceof latrines In thelrhouses.women have to go out in theopeneitherbeforesunrlseor after sunsetto defec.atein darkness.Hence, toiletsareof greatpriority for them for reasons

of privacyandsafety.Women haveby farthe most important lnfluence indeterrnlnlnghousehold hygiene and in

56


The limits of acounhy are determinedby ecology and the intelilgence ofa society - Homer Dixon

Sanitation and health status report

We areInheritorsof the,great IndusValley Civilisation which existed

some four thousand years ago. It wascharactertsed by meticulous townplanning and high standardsof publicsanitation. Its covereddrainagesystemremained unsurpassedtiJi modemtimes.Charaka Samhlta and Susruta Samhita.the famousmedical treatiseswhich werecompiledabout two thousançlyearslater.also laid great stress on personalandgeneral hygiene.Ilowever. we witness adismalsituation 1f we takea look at thepresentstateof public sanitationin thecountry.

Losses in working days due todiarrhoeal and respfratoxydlseasesandtuberculosiswork out to mIllions everyyear. According to the World HealthOrganisation (1992). every year abouteight million new casesof tuberculosisare added globally.with India contributing1.2 million to Il-its number;5 per centofour populatton carrythe hepatitisB viruswhich causesJaundice.a potentially fataldisease1f lelt untreated; and annuallyabout2.11percentofpeopleareinfecteciwtth malarta. Approxlmately. the sarnenumber of blrths occur ix~China andIndia. but the deathrateamongchuldrenis tbree Umeshigher in India.

The survival and weU being of anation depend on sustainabledevelopment. II is a processof soclalandeconomiedevelopmentthat satisfiestheneedsand values of all interestgrou~s.Water supply and sanitationareessentialrequirementsfor sustainabledev-elopment.The formerWorld BankChairman,Robert

MarNamara.hadremarkedthatfor bettereconomic growth rate and higherproductivity, emphasisbas to be given tothe health of the people for wlflchprovision of public utilities like water

supply and sanitatlon is necessary.Benefitsof safewater ]jmjtedwlthitsanitation. Due to insapitaUon watercoursesgetpolluted. Incidenceof diseasesrises,labourforceIs affçcted,productivityof industry nd agriculture fails putting - -

streaseson budgetaryresourcesneedal.fordevelopment and to strengthen theeconomy. Invariably people who areunservedwlth basic facillties of watersupply and sanitationare the.poor outs.‘fliey lack not oniy the meansto havesuch facilities but alr~einformation onhowto mlriimlse theIii efïectsof lrisanltmyconditlons In which tl-iey live.

growth. nearly half of the population incitiesin developingcountrieslive in slums.pavementsand shanty towns.ubeirhealthandphysicalwell being-areJeopardisecibyina.çlequatesanitattonandgarbagedumpedadjoining the placeaof habitatlon. The

~debiUtatIng - effects-of Insanitary living

condittons and deteflorating enyl omncnt -

lower the producuve potentialof the verypeciplewho eauleastafford It. Amongthepoor. the women and chfldren suffer themust.

Sanitation Is a broad term andInciudeswater supply. disposalofbuxnanwaste.wastewaterandao]kl waste.contrplof vectors ef diseasçs.dcpmestlc and

personalbygiene. foodsanltation,housingetc. The scopeof sanitationmayvary andemphasI~may shift wlth the needandcommunities.but In developtngcountijes.-safedlsposalof human wasteIs veryvltalfor linprovlngthe healthandenvironxnent.Human excreta is the cause of m,anyentericdiseasessucha~cholera,dysentezy.typhoid. paratyphold,infectioushepatitis.hookworm. diarrhoeaete. Studiesrevealthat over50 Infectlonseaubetransferredfrom a diseasedpersonto a healthyone

Thelr health andphyslCal well bëlngareJeopardlsed bylnadequatesanltatlon and

Dueto rapidanduncontrolled~ garbagedumped-- ~adjoln1ng the

plaCesofhobitalion. Thedebllftatlng effeCtsof lnsanltary hAngconditlons anddeterloraflngeh’.[rönment lowerthe productivepotentlal of thevery people whocan least afford ft.Among the poor,the women Ôhdchlldren suffer themost.

57

PERCEPT)ON & COMMENTS -

by various direct or Indirect routesfromexcretaand causenearly 80% of dlseasesIn developing countries.In India, about 4to 5 hundred thousandchildren die ofdiarrhoeaidlseasereveryyear. - -

The people bre not aware of thehealth and environmental benefits ofsanitation and it is stil not a feit needfor most of them. This Is evident fromthe fhct that evenafter severai projectsundertaken during the InternationalDrinking Water Suppiy and SanitaüonDecadejl98l-91) and thereafteiHhardiy20% of theurban populatlon have accessto flash arrangements conneeted tosewerage system. 14% have access- towater borne tolletsconnectedto septictanks. 33% (13 million househoid) havebucket or dry privles and the remaining33% do not have any latrines in theirhouses and. they resort to open airdefecauon.In rural areasthe situatlon isworse. only 3% of the rural populattoni.e. 3.4 mliilon out of 1 12 milllonhouseholds have accesa to sanltarytoilets.

In India. themajor causeof concernIs the exlstenceof millions of bucket anddry latrines.The Task Force for tackllng

the problems of scavengersand theirrehabilitationconstitutedby the PlanningCommisslon. Government of rndia In Itsreport (1990-91) had asassedthat thenumber of bucket/dry privies in India Isabout 76.4 lalçhs. of which 54.2 lakhs

The situallon of safe dispôsal ofhuman waste is very appalling in thecountry. Nearly 89% of the totalpopulation or 135 million householda(about 750 million people)eitherdefecatein the open or usebucket/dryprivies orusecommunitytoilets, 1f avallabie.Variousstudiescarriednut in India- and abroadhave revealed that the impact of safedlsposal of human waste has beenparticularly significant In reducingmorbidltyandmortalityfrom gastroentericdiseasesand helminthic infecton. The

- existenceof bucket privies hasled to thedarneaningpracticeof manual handlingof human waste by humans whichstigmatised a particular caste called“seaveriger”.Apart from beingadegradinginhuman practicemanualscavengingofbucket/dry privles posed rnany healthhazardsand is a blot on our£lvtlisaton.The greatestweaknessIn the scavengingsystemis the employment of scavengersIn the humiliatirig job whlch is a humanrights question.

MahatmaGandhi was one of the

massesabout - the close connectlonbetween microbes and diseasesby

Human excreta Isthe cause of many

enteric dlseasessuch as cholera,

dysentery, typhold,paratyphold,

infectlous hepotlils,hookworm,

dlarrhoea etc.Studies reveal thatover 50 lnfectlons

can be transferredfrom a dlseased

person to a healthyone by varlous

dIrect or Indirectroutesfrom excreta

and cause nearly80% of diseases In

developingcountries.

very few leadersof India in recent timeswho emphaslsedtheImportance of publicsariitatlon. However. our present recordIn this Important areaof public hygiene

andin control of InfecUous diseasesisrather poor. even in Asla. The incIdenceof thesediseaseais four times higher inIndia compared to China. despite ourhigher per capitaexpenditureon heaith.

exist in urbanareas;In tnwnsand cilles. They lead to corisiderable lossof life andhuman excretafrom thebuekets Is often working timewith resultantlow economiespilled onto the vicinity durinç aç~vjjy_a~~pour quality of life. Thetransportation to the disposal site. It is current situation urgently demandsthata common sight to find excretaflowing peoplebe madeaware of microbes andIn open drains diie to defecatlon by the mle they play in causingdiseasessochlldrenaswell asmany a Unie by adults. that the right measures to controlWashingfrom the bucketprivies andthe Infectious diseasesare taken. One hashazardousseptictank effluent alsoilnd~then to devisestrategies to limit thetheir way into the drainsflowing in front breedinggrourids of mlcrobes. take stepsof theflouses.Ageold unhealthypractice to avold their spread.InsUil goedhygienicof openair defecationancLuseof bucket/ habits in the massesand also providedry privles are a potential hazard to ~dilltles such asthosewhich are part ofheaithand hygieneand exposethe entre the Sulabh Movement. Sensitizing thecommunity to foul environment andpollute the riversandotherwater courses,

58


providing proper information andunderstandingIs anotherimportant taskin thIs flght agalnstInfectous diseases.-

The scientlfic basis of theconnectionbetweenlackof sanitationandinfectiousdiseaseswasprovidedby LouisPasteur.Pobert Rock. Elie Metchnikoffand other ‘microbe hunters’ whoestablishedthat thesediseasesarecausedby micro-organisms.via. Ixtcterta. Jiingiand uiruses.Antoni vanLeeuvenhoekwasthe first person to work on microbes bypeeringthrough microscopesnf his ownmaking. The work of theseand sev’eraiother scientists resulted in mankind’sbiggest advanceIn flghting diseases.Ronald Pass’swork on maiaria carriedout at Calcutta and that of ValdemaarHaifkine on plagueat Bombay are someother excillng episodes in the samepursuit of trackingdeadlymicrobes.

The work of theseand së~eraiothersclentists led to thedevelopmentof three

conceptswhlchplay an importantrole Inthe control of infectious diseases.Theseare (a) infecuousdiseasesiarecansedwhenwecomein contactwIth pathogens:(b) thesepathogensarepresentin severalenvirorimental reservoirs,which Inciudedrinking water. food. garbage heaps.sewageand humanexcreta (c) one canprotectoneselffrom thesedLseasesby

avoiding contact with the pathogenicmlcro-organisms.The masteffectivewayto do this is to eliminate theenvironmental reservoirs of thesemicrobes: the secondbest alternailve Isto keep ourseives away from thesereservoirs.As the links betweenmicrobesand diseases became dear, peopleunderstood the reasons why simplemeasures.especlaily involving personal

and public hygiene,protectedthem frominfectlous diseases. Advances inimmunology (vaccinatlon) and antiblotiesscan followed. and the global healthsituation Irnproved stil further.

India hias en unenviablerecord ofhigh incidenceof severalinfectlous (and

non—Infectious)diseases.flie 1993WörldDevelopmentHeport. inuestinginHealLh’.

Tanks IndIa next-only to sub-SaharanAfi-ican - countries (alf couritries south ofthe Sahara, excluding Mauritius, andSeychelles)and sorne countries in theMiddie East, in the number of peopleafihictedwlth infectlous diseases.In Sub-Saharan Africa, lnfectious diseasesaccount for 71 per cent of all diseases.The correspondingpercentagesïare50.5percent. 25.3per cent. 8.6 perëentônd9.7 per cent for India. China, the formersocIalist economiesof Europeend themore tleveloped countries;reirpactively.

thlnawlth a populallon of 1.134niilllon and nearly comparableincomes(in 1990) has achieved a rnarkedimprovement in health and santtationstatusof its people during the past ]years. especially with reference toinfectlôusdiseases.In anygivenyear.anaverageIndlan loses at least four times-more healthy days due to infectiousdiseasEsthan doessri aterageChinesaThis Is not duato lower expenditureonhealthcarebut lack of concernfor healthand sanitallon.indeed,India spendsmore-funds per persotii$ 21/annum) onhealthcarethanChina(S 11/annum) onlyto be behind it in the race.

However, the significant difference-

bes in the faet that China bas spentaconsiderableamountin the piblic sectoron specificpublic healthmeasures;ratherthan nn settngup hospitals and otherfaeilitIes for treatmentof diseaseaas- isdone in India. Public healthprogrammeswhich haveadirectbearingon promotlnga healthy environmentinelude pmvtsionof clean and adequatequantltiesof water.andsanitaüon.sewtrsgeanti solid-wastecoflectlonanddisposaLDirect investmentin the developmentof theseprogfBrnmesleadstorernovalof reservolrsof pathogensand. In turn. to reduction in the Incldenceof infectiousdiseases.And, ahealthyandgrowing society. •

Public heaithprogrammes whichhave a directbearing onpromoting a heaithyenvironment inciudeprovislôn - of clean -

dhd adequate - -

quantfties of water,and sanitatlon,sewerage and soild—waste coilectlonaicLdisposai. Directinvestment In thedeveiopment oftheseprogrammesleads to removal ofreservoirs of5athogens and, inturn, to reducilon inthe lncidence ofinfectious diseases.

59


Byhealingour planet as a community,we can save our natural riches forfuture generatlons - Rio Dec!aration

On ecology, turns survivalof human civilisation() ne is always Intrigued by the power

of simple ideas - that sometimesresbapethe world. It may be dlscovery”of zero and declmalby Aryabhattaor theInventionof the wheelsbyAssyrians.flieyhavechangedthe world like nothlng elsedid before. A. similar idea took root 22years ago in Americawhen a handful ofconcerned citizens ralsed their volceagalnst pollution that was ruining thequality of life. The outrageled on April22, 1970,to the Ecjrth Daywhichbecamethe annual event later, involving some20 million Americanswho turn out inlargenumbers throughout the country toprotectthe environment.In earlier times,It was the emplre whlch usedto be chiefobsessionof strongnations:later, It wasthe new idea whleh caused manyrevolutlonsIn the lSth and i9th centuriesand, stil later, It was the technologyandthe weaponssystemwhlch determinedthestrengthand the greatnessof a country.And now, It is ecology,the degradationofwhich Is causingconcernta the rtch andthe poot alike.

Ecology, or the environment,is theaggregationof all living and non-livipgthings which provide the life supportsystemon this planet and the absenceofwhich has. made other planetsuninhabitable.It is, therefore,necessaryfor man to preservetheecologicalsystemwhich ts now threatened by rapidindustrialisation, urbanisatlon,population exploslon and inereasingconsumerism. And, hence, the globalconcern over the man-naturedisequilibrium.Environmentcameon theWorld’s agendaafterIt was discoveredthatthe growth. and a very onerecklessone

at that, was taking at the cost of theenvironment.Sincegrowth is resources-

based,the higher the growth in termaof

human constunplion. the thinner thesupport-line to sustaln it. Nor are allresourcesirenewable;water, air, land arelimitecl. Population, mostly in the poorcountries;doubled during the last thlrtyyears and the frightlul technologies to-exploit nature’s resourceadiminlshedthepossibility of the human civilisationlastlngjorever. - - -

Between7,000and 8,000BC, when

tiaclersweremelting, Mesopotamiasawthe creatlonof agrlculturalsurpluses.And

the trading of thosesurplusesis believed

to havebeenresponsiblefor the irwentlortof money;they ware first communitiestousebrick andstone.Jericho,for exaniple.

the oldest known city, was founded Inthis period, when Europe was beginningto recover from the Lee Age. Somehistoriansbelievethatthe first appearanceof highly organisedsocieüesin the fertileriver vaileysof the Tigris. the-Euphrates.and the Nile was stimulatedby a majorclimate change3,000 years ago. A newdilmate pattem - characterisedby droughtand floods - forcedcommunitiesto clusterin the river valleys. The challenge ofciontatning and distributing the

in history. we haveinstances when

cMiisalions vanishedbecause man

became tooaggresslve on theenvironment. The

oldest andthe glorious

civilisation of Assyriaand Babylonia(modern iraq)

vanished whenpeople cut trees

and river Euphratesslited and changed

Us course in anger.

,.i~careandshare

60

PERCEPTION & COMMENTSI

floodwaters for irrigation, storing theannual harvests,and distribû%lng food

suppiiesrequlredmanybasicmechanismsand that createdhumancivilisation.

Whereis the ancient Phoeniclancity

of carthage?It Is burled in the sanddunes of northernAfrica. In a serIes ofwarsbetweenRomansand Greeks,joined

by many other regional powers, forestswar cut, dykesdismantiedand river Tunisagainsilted to change its course 16 kineastto wint is modemcapitalof Tunisiatoday. And, Carthagevanlshedinto thethin air. Let us not forget that Carthagewas thecity whereCaesarmet Cleopatraon the sight of whose nose, the Romanemperorlauncheda thousandshipsand

conqueredthe lcnown world for her. Thisall happenedbecauseman did not learnto live in peacewith nature.

The effect of ecology on cfvillsationhas been conslderableon Europe. Theproximate cause of the suffering and

socialunrestafterNapoleonicwars(1800to 1815) was a changein the globalatmospherefollowlng an unusuallylargeseries of eruptions on the Islands of

Indonesla.Scientistsestimatethat 10,000peoplewarekified in the initial erupilonand 82,000 moredied of starvationanddisease.From Ireland to England to theBaltics. mln feil almostcontlnuouslyfromMay to October, in 1915whicb destroyedcrops. causedfood riots. and the near-collapseofsocietythroughouttheBritishIsles and Europe.The historian JohnD.Post has called it “the last greatsubsistencecrIsis in theWesternworld”.

Small climate changescaused byvolcanic eruptionsmayalso have playeda major role in one of the modem era’sseminalevents,the FrenchRevolution.Inhis groundbreakingstudy of the history

of climate, liniesofFeast,liniesqfFamlne,Emmanual Le Roy Ladurie describesinmeticulousdetail the disastrous eropfafluresand poorharvestin France durlngthe aix yearsimmediately precaling theRevolution of 1789, cuhnlnatlng in thebitter winter of 1899-89and one of the

coldestMays.The effectsof climatechangeon the politica! and social stablllty arepowerful. Now, humankind Is nowchanglngthe cliniate of the entireglobeto adegreefar g~eater- qndjhater- thananything that had causedhavocbefore.

One of the most dramaticeffects ofdlimate change on clvflisatton basbeenmasslvemigratlon from one geographic

area to another. In fact, one of thegreatestmigrations in history - the onethat introducedhumanbeingsinto NortbAmericaand SouthAmerica- cameaboutas a direct result of climate change.Durlng the last leeAge, 20,000yearsago,whenvastamountsof sea aterwasfrozeninto lee, sealevelwasaboutthreehundredfeetlower than It Is today. L.argeareasofthose parts of the oceanbottom (we eauthe contlnentalsheij)ware exposedasdryland, and shallow oceansiraits, like theBeringStraft and the Gulfof Carpentaria,

wareinsteadland bridges.Thesebridges- scrvedasthe migratory routes for thepeople now known as aborigines.As theglaclôrsreir ,thesealè~ielrâieagain.some 10,000 years ago, stranding the

-NaUw Anierlcansandaboriglneson theirnew contlnents,At the sarne time, as

temperaturesdlimbed, the global climatesettled Into the pattern that It hasroughly maintainedeversinee,~-

But it’s now becoming dear thatclimate Is even more basic to thedevelopment of humankind.Anthropologists,evolullonary biologlsts,and climate specialists - includingElisabeth S. Vrba, Frederlc E. Grine,Richard 0. Klein, and David Pilbeam -

have recently combined the history ofdimatechangeswlth the anthropologlcal

1f we are to protectand preserve ourenvironment on aglobai scale, we allmust do our part, asnations, as famiiiesand as lndMduais,The need forawareness has neverbeen greater, andthe opportunity for usto make adifference Is Just asgreat. if we practiceand teach the rlghtkind of care andcommitment for ourenvlronment, It wIilcontinue not only tç -

bring S its naturaiglfts, but also tobring us together.

- US Vice-PresidentMr. Al Gore

61-


The wordecosystem is acontraction of

ecologlcal system.Ecology, In turn, Isder(ved from the

Greek wordmeaning ~house.

Persöns all over theworld, selzing on

the roof meaning ofecology, havebroadened tts

scope from theforrner narrow

academlc confineand refer It to the

study of the totailtyof man and

environment or tothe whole

‘envlronmenthouse~,as (t were.

evldenceto producea new consensus-that humanevolutlon Itself was shapedby dramatictransitlonsin global dlirnatepatternsduring the last 6 million years.The sciencewriter William K. Stevens

descrlbes“an outpouringof analysis andsaysthat “sclentistsaresketchlngout theinfluential roles played by dilmate andecology In shaping human evolullon”.

Historlcally,cilmatetragedieslike theone that causedthe potato famine havelcd to massivemigrationstowardwealtliler

countries, especially the United States.Three decades earlier. the greatsubsistencecrisis of 1616-17 had alsosttinulateda flood of mlgratlon,not onlyfrom Europeto the United Statesbut -

becausethe effects-ofthe climatechangewerefelt well beyondEurope- also withlnthe United States.For ewnple,historicalaccountsof the westwardmigrationsfromMalne indtcate that after ‘ theuncoinmonly cold and unpropltlous”springsof 18L6 and~L817, a terrible fearof faniine lent a fresh Impulse to the

enchantingsplrit of emlgratlon.Hundredswho had homes, sold them for smallconsideratfons. and lost no time inhasteningaway irito a far country~’.

About 10 million residents -ofBangladeshwill lose thelr homes andmeansof sustenancebecauseof therislrigsealevel, due to global wanning,-In thenext few decades.Where will they go?Whom will they dlsplace?What political

conflicts will resuit? That Is only oneexample.According to somepredictions.not longafterBangladeshfeelstheImpact,up to 60 per centof Its presentpopulauon

mayhaveto be relocated.‘liie pressureofthe populauon at the foothilis of theHlmaiayashaslcd In thelast fewdecacles

to such extenslvedeforestatlonthat therains now rush wIldly down the slopes.acrossBangladeshand-easternIndia,carrylngan enorn-wustonnageof topsoilto silt up the GangesRiver system.causing floods. The Bay of Bengal isalmostperpetuallybrown wlth the soli

that ought to be growing crops. We are

ctinsufiulhg larger and larger quantltleseve~ïy yearofcoal, ofi. freshair andwater.trees. topsoil. and the thousandothersubstanceswe take out from the earth.transformlngthem toto huge qunntitlesof pollutlon, canoingprodnctsfor whlchwe spend bililons ori advertising toconvlneeourselvesthatwewant massive

surplusesof products to waste.We seemIncreaslnglyeagerto loseourselvesIn thenameof culture.society.technology, andthe rituals of production andconsumptlon,andwe pay heavily.

Let use~x~mInewhat is theecosystem

asa whölé whoseprotectionis necessaryfor our survival. To understand themeaningof the word ~ecosystem and toappreclate the role that It plays Incmuicatlngmans lncreaslngconcernabout his environment, one ahouldccinslder the hollstic concept thatunderlineathe term.Hollsm Is a conceptbased on the history that livingcomponents(organtsmsInciuding man)(inictiori togetherasawholc accordIngtoweil-definedphysicalandblological laws.

Also fundamentalto this conceptIsageneralisationtheoryof Integrativelevelor the theary of hierarchical control. Bythis It Is meant that as coinponentaareaddedtn createlarger functional units.

additlonalattrlbutescometoto focus: theattilbutesthatarenotpresentnarevident

77w parched ~nd and witherisg freeWe shouid not teavebehind this ecology

Jbr our chlldren. Should we?

62


from the behaviour of separatecomponents.WhenhydrogenIs combinedwlth oxygen In a certain manner. forexample, water, which Is dlstlnct fromboth of its components,Is fbrmed, -

Similarly, whenfreesevalvetogether.they form forestswlth an entirely newsetof attrlbutes.To understandwaterandforest, therefore, knowledgeabout thefunctlonal wholesaswell as the partsIsrequlred.TheImportanceof theecosystemconceptIs Its emphaslsan the overriding

necessityfor understandingthe largeunits of nature In which man, hisdomestic organisms, and his energydemandingmachinesareInterdependent

componentsaiong with other essentialunits that maintain the total life support

systentTheword “ecosystem”Is acontraction

of ecologicalsystem. Ecology1in turn, isderived from the Greek word meaning‘housC.Personsall overtheworld, selzingon the mat meaning of ecology, havebroadened Its scope from the formernarrow academicconfine andrefèr It tothe study of the totaiity of man andenvlronment or to the whale“environinenthouse”,asIt were.Thewordecosystemhasbeendefinedas regtilarlyInteracting and Interdependentcomponentsfarming a unifled whole.

An anthropocentric, or human-centered, definitlon af ecosystem.therefore,could be; & life-supportsystemcomposedof the air, water, minerals, sail,plants,animals,andnflcro-or~nisms,allaf which functlon togetherandmaintainthe whole.A formal definitlon is; anyunit,

Includingall organisms.biologtçal factrs

- Interaettngwlth the envlroriment(physlcalIèctor) so that 1kw of energ wlthin asystemleads tct a clearly definedtrophic(nutrient requlrlng) structure, to biotic

- diversityand to an exchangeof materials,betweenliving an non-Ijving sectors.

-There is na size Ilnilt Implied totothe definitlonof the ecosyitem; Ii may bea squarekm ofJungle.a~gqaxcLmeterofdesert,a pond, awoodlot,a city, a farm

_qr ciosedcontainerof small organism(eg.an equariumor a vivartum). The largest

- ecosysteinIs biosphere,- the entire worldof life and Its assoclated- geospliere.theInaniniat&eèrtli;bë&uiè ~hismagnitudaThIs ecosystemIs uitenreSred to astheecaspherè.Oiil3F Ei riârimaWéecosystemare the boundarles dear; naturalecos~stemsblendtog~theratoverlapareas

called ecotones,asatthe endof a forestor atseashore. - - -- -

Jnsum,thetent ecoS~stemIndicatesliie unity of organisma~HV11tOnIÎIeIil

is will asthe onenessof man and nature.An ecosystemhas two cbm~önentsthatarepartially sep~ratedIn spiceand time(1) art autotrophic, or selL nourishing

component(lérgegreenpÏanetsjIn whlchllght energyIs usedto bullcL up çomplexorganicsubstancefrom stinpler Inorganicone and (2) a hetero-trophic ör otherilourlshing componentIn *hich complexorganicsubsiancesareutfilsed.reairang&1and ultimately de-composed.This beingthe composltenatureof environment.wehave to have a hoilstlc approachto theproblem. •

The largestecosystem isblosphere, the entlreworld of life and ttsassoclatedgeosphere, theInanlmate earth;because of fi’smagnitude. This

-éöôsystèrn Is cifen -

referred to as theecosphere. Only Inman-madeecosystem are theboundarles dear;natural ecosystemsblend together afoverlap areas calledecotones, as at theend of a forest or atseashore.

,...J63

PERCEPTION & COMMtNTS tHuman rights

Man Is bom free but heIs In chalns - Rousseau

principle and practice

At the state andnatlonal levels

human rlghts wheresought to be

ensured through thelaws drawn up bythe governments;

and at theInternational levels

through trealles,conventions and

protocols.Undoubtedly,

International Jurlsts,lawyers, Judges,statesmen and

phllosophers havealso planted theroots from whlch

they hoped wouldsprout forth a new

soclal order.

H uman rights are certalnfundamental rlghts that are

essentialfor any humanbeing to leadanormal life. Whateverbe the theory onwhlch human rlghts are based, theirultimate alm Is to grant the Individual.the necessaryfreedomsto make his lifeonthis earthworth living with reasonablyJust comfort and happlnessIn harmonywlth others In the society.

The foundersof the United Nationswere awareof the ertent the denial ofhuman rlghts was responslble for theoutbreakof World War II. Thelrs was afirm conviction that a- peaceful worldcould not be built without the effectiveguaranteeof Internationalprotectiori forhuman rlghts. 1-lence the Untversal

Declarationart HumanRightswasadoptedby the world bcidy. There Is a directrelatlonsbipbetweenhumanrlghts andpeace.It is imposslble to have truc andlastlngpeace,when the humanrlghts ofevenasectionof socIetyare unrecognisedand vlolated. It Is for this reason thatslnce early tlmes natlonal andInternational attempts were made torecogniseand protect certain valuablefundamentalhuman rlghts that everyIndividual ought to enjoy In any civilisedandjust society.AL the stateand nallonallevels this was sought to be ensuredthrough the laws drawn up by thegovernments;and at the Internationallèvels through treatles,conventionsandprotocols. Undoubtedly, Internationaljurlsts, lawyers,Judges, statesmenandphilosophershavealso plantedthe rootsfromwhich theyhopedwould sprout fortha new social order that would promoteand protecthumanrIghts. and preservethe dignity and weil-belng of all humanpersons.

The specialfeatureof the struggleIn modern tlmes for the preservatlonofhumanrlghts Is that It is now auniversalmovementand the vlolaüonsat any placecannotbe bidden from others for long.

~çrJii~ first timetlonalsphere,the Charterof the United Nationshas made ~2L~!’~binding on membercountries who arerequiredto safeguardthem.The ChartermakesIt obligatory on the partof memberstates to cooperatewlth the UnitedNations In promoting universal respectfor, andobservanceof. humanrlghts andfundamental freedomsfor all, withoutdistinctions of race, sex, language orrellg~on.Thei~g~itsof thehumanpersonsare based on mankind’s lncreasIngdemandfor adecentclvuisedlife In whlchthe Inherentdignlty of each Individualwould recelverespectandprotection.

- -- sdiislShuman rlghts questlon Is ralsed

- flRCEPTIQN _& COMMENT~1:--.-~“~-‘~-

IndIa in1979 ratifledt h eInternationalCovenant onCivil andPolitlcalRlghts that

came lntoforceIn 1976.

h is...but stil! itt Is 1fl ChnlnS Covenant,

and thecovenant on Economlc Soclal andCultural Nights, whlch constitute adetailed codificatlon on human rlghts.have legal farceas treatiesbetweenthepartiesthereto.

Artlcle 7 of the InternationalCovenant on Clvii and Political Nightspruhibits acts of torture and of cruel,Inhuman or degrading treatment orpunlshmenLArtlcle 10, Instead,pravidesthat ‘All personsdeprivedof their libertyshall be treated with humsnity and withrespect far the Inherent dlgnity of thehuman persons”. Anticle 5 of the UNDeclaralionof Human Nights, 1948, alsola~down that, ‘No oneshail besubJectedto tonïzre or to cniel, fnhumanordegradingbeabnentorpunlshment’.

In 1975 the UnitedNations GeneralAssemblyagainadoptedby cansensusadeclaratlon on the Protection of AllPersonsfrom heftig subjectedto tortureand other cruel, Inhuman or degradingtreatinentor punlshment(Nesolutlon3452(XXX) 9 December 1975). AccordIng toArticle 1 of this Declaration, torturemeans“any act by which severepain orsufferlng, whetherphyslcal or mental, Isintentlonally Inflicted by or at theInstigationof a public official on a personfar suchpurposesas obtalningfrom filmor a third personInformationor confesslora,or punishlng him for an act he hascammitted or Is suspectedof havlngcommitted or Intlmidatlng him or otherpersons (emphasisadded).

Artlcle 2 of this Declarationstatesthat “any act of torture or other cruel,Inhuman or degradlng treatment or

punishment Is an offence to humandlgnity and shali be condemnedas avlolation of the human rlghts andfündamentalfreedomsproclalmedin theUniversalDeclarallonof Human Nights”.On June 1979 the Governmentof Indiadepositedwlth the UnIted Nations aIJniversalDeclarationAgainstTorture, Inwhlch It statedthat It would comply wlththe rules for the prohibitlon of torturelald dawn In the Declaratlon andImplement Its provisions throughleglslatlveand other effectivemeasures.India’s cominitmentto prohibit acts oftorture and of cruel, inhuman ordegradlngtreatmentor puhishmentInaccordancewlth the guldelineslaid downin International covenants anddeclarationsIs so evident,It would seemIt will readily comply with the normsprescrlbedby the UN General AsseinblyDeclarutlon,3452.

Everywhereon the planet,humanbelngsmakeclaims to a range of valuesthat cumulatively amount to humandignity. But in too many places,humandlignity is underassaujt.For too many ofour fellow human beings, life Is nasty,brutish, and brief. ThIs, desplte anevolving International human rlghtssystem, whlch In no small measurecontinuesto alleviate human sufferlng.

Yearsago,It hasbeenassumedthatwhat a governmentdid to Its cwn peo~ilewasIts own business.flat changedafter1945, followlng ïhe Holocaust-and Nazidenlalsof basic humanrlghts. Nationsdecided that the promotion of humanrlghtsought to be aprlnclpal purposeofnew United Nations Organisation.Distinctiveprescrlptionsandinstitutlonalarrangementsfor the Invocatlonand theappilcationof humanrlghts normsweredeveloped.Theseamount to a restrainton the useof a government’spower. Thebaslcpropositionof the Internationallawof human rights is that a governmentcanno longerutllize any meansagainstIts own people eventhough It Is acting

- againstita own cltlzens and In Its ownterrltory.

In Januaiy1947,the UnItedNations

In too many places,human dlgnlty Isunder assauft. Fortoo many of ourfeiiow humanbelngs, life Is nasty,brutlsh, andThIs, desplteevoMngInternationalhuman rlghtssystem, whlch In nosmall measurecontlnues toallevlate humansuffering,

brief,an


Most agree that weare now facing the

challenge ofapplying those

standards. But whafIt there is sharp

dlsagreement onthe standards

presumed for somany years to be

universa!? This Is thechallenge of

unlversallly. Thischailenge ciaims

ffiat there arereglonal and cufturai

parflcuiaritles tohuman rlghts. Thatcertaln norms formwhat Is known as

the International Billof Human Rlghts

must be consonantwfth local standards,

HumanNights Comniissionheld its firstplenary session, The Commissioncomprlsed18 nationsand its chairpersonwasEleanorRoosevelt. The taskwastodraft an International bill of humanrlghts. When finally drafted a year later.the Universal Declaratlon of HumanNightswaspresentedto 55 mexnberstatesof the United Nations and arlopted. Itwas a hlstoric achievement, and anImportantmomentin the developmentofInternationalhuman rîghts.

In appraislngthe current state ofhumanrights It Is, of course. dlfficult toignore the conditions that characteriseour internationalenvironment,generally.My Yale UnIversity colleague, PaulKennedy, a histortan, assertsthat “theforcesthatchaliengeandtestour humancondltion - the forces of technology,demography, political disintegration,cultural anlmosltles,-ecologicaldamage-

are severe and In many respeetsincreaslng.” Indeedtheseareat therootof the challengeswhich ourhumanIhaiflynowfacesinefforts to hok! humandlgnity.

Our Post-Cold War order Ischaracterised by disorder- and theInternational system by a diffusion ofpower,andby collapsedand disintegratlngstates. EYur planet Is lesa characterisedby Interdependencethan It is by Inter-determinatlon. Our world is one ofoverwhe]mlngvolubllity andImmediacyassegmentaof our socletlesfunction athyperspeerl. This means that humanrlghts-abuses,thanks to the media,-areconveyed about the planet. They areconveyedto elites and to the masses:-

Our post-Cold War- internatIonalsystem is yleldlng new humanltarlancrtses. patterns of human rlghtsvlolations on a massiveseale, thedenlalof self-determlnation, environmentaldestruction, and. Inci-easingly,compassionfatigue. ThisIs a perplexlngage- but asafamousAmerlcaxxjournalIstonce observed. ‘~Anyonewho -lsn’tconfused, doesn’t understand thesltuatlon.’ Some of the human rlghtschallengesof the post-ColdWar agertin-deep. FIrst, there is the challerige of

-re~ect.-Thisiïs the beginning-anidtheendof humanrlghts. The~veryfirst artlcleof the Universsi Declaratlonof HumanNights Is about ‘respect”.

- - “AU humanbelngsare bomfree andequal in dignity and rlghts. 7lley areendowecLw(threasonandconsciert~eand

.~hou1dact towardsoneariotherlrt a sptrttof brotherhood”.

This demand for resp-e~tIs sointenseiy held that It became thefoundationof contemporaryhumanrightsstandards.Respectmeansensurlngthefuiflilment of the full range of humanvalues. It meansevery humanshould berespected,regardlessof gender,age,raee,creed, or the soTcIal status. RespectIneludes the opportunlty to determineone’splaceand that of one’s coinmunityin the civil-politlcal order. Article 21 oftheUniversalDeclamtlanof humanRIghtsassartstheiight of everyoneLa participateIii his orher goveraniertiand that thewill of the people is the only basis forgovernmentalauthority,andthat this willmust be expressedthrough pertodic-andgerlulneeleetlons. This Is, of course.amattër of respêct. For even 1f one’sspIritual journeyIn this life andathersIspreordained- one’scivil - polhticaljourney15- riot. - -- - -

- - -- -Secoriil, thereIs thechallengeof well-being. The International human-rlghts

- cdmmunlty has warked to e1i~urewell-béliig- understoddastheilght tolife andseeurity,in combatingtortureandslaveiy,arbitrary arreats and extra judiclalexeeuuons:Andthesechallengeswill stifibe wtth us. But wenow must reformulatethe challenge of weil-belng to Inciudepcl’verty atid abasicright to food. to healthof cleanlinesa,and to shelter. In a worldof5~500million people,1,500mfllIon livein absolute poverty. That a chiki dies ofstarvatinn Is asmuch a denlalof humanrlghis as.twhen mi adnlt Is tortured orforced to suffer the Indignity of carrylnghumanexeretaon the head.Our notionof wefl-belng In thehumannightscontextnru~tInciude, In the words- of the Irlshwilter JamesJayëe. “out-castesfrom life’sfeast”scavengersareonesuchoutcastes,~

66


Our post-Cold Water InternationalsystemIs characterisedby an lncreaslngnumberof falled andfaLllIng states. Andthis is a third cholLengefor humannights.There are growing numbersof borderedterritorles having the externalcharacteristicsof “states,”yetwhlch haveceased to fulfili any criteria nonnallyassociatedwith a state. How will thehuman nights system protect humandignity In thesesituatlonsof Increaslnglyconflnedchaos?

The human nights systemhasjustcompletedan Importanteraof standard-settlng. Mastagreethatwearenow facingthe challengeof applylngthosestandards.But wint 1f thereis sharp disagreennenton the standardspresuiiietfor somanyyearsto be universal?Thisis thechailengeof universolity:This challengeclaimsthatthere are regional and culturalparticularitles to human nights. Thatcertainnonnsformwhat Is known astheInternational Bifi of Human Nights mustbe consanant with local standards.Butthe particularisationof human nights canlead to the tennination of prescrlpüonsdesignedto ensurea modieu of dignltyfor everyone,reganllesaof culture, reilglon.age.~r gender. -

This challenge Is forcing theInternationalcommunltyto confront andto clarlfy Its common Interests. “Thebanalfact of theearth’sroundness,”thischallengeto univeraity is drlving us alltowani conunonalltyon the basisof valuesenshrlnedin the Universal Declaraüonof HumanNights. More than everbefore,humankind Is confronted wlth thesphericlty of the human environment.Humanity’s civilisatlonal cleavagesareInter-thinking. and becoming more so.And thIs Is the wmnb from which anoptimumpublic order of human dignity Isemerglng.Authoritativelyprotectedsocialprocesses tncreasingly marimize theshaplngandsharing of all human values.At the level of human awarenessthereexists, In varylng degrees.a planetaryunification. Regardlessof differentiatlonIn Instltutlonal practicesby whlch valuesare pursued,and Irrespectiveof Individual

expectatlons,at least the deniands for- the fulliliment of hunninrtghtsappearto

be commnnlyshated. The language-ofhuman nights, 1f not yet universal, isuniversalislng. It Is weddecLto threehuman comniônalitles - Ïiiipendlngmcttallty, the power of self-reftection,anddignlty. And thisis a hopefiulLdevelopment.

Thefinal challengeon my list hastodo with the distributton of power In ourInternationalsystem.This is challengeatthe macrolevel, but Its repercussionsarei~r-reaching.Our InternationalsysteinIsincreasingly polycentric. We areundergoing one of the deepéstrearrangementsof global power sine theblrth of industrlal civilisation. There are

- terrltorlal centresi5f~öwéÏEïïd1lièi~èarenew, non-territorial centresaf power,

- basedon technology,computatlon, andhigh flnance.We must askourselves,Inthis rearrangementof power.who will beincluded and who -will be left out? Wewill all Increasinglyface the challengeofInclusion.

The grêatest Inricivatidiï in thelnternationalhuman rlghts system hasbeenparticlpantsother than states; andthis is a hopeflil deuelopment.1f thehehavioursof stateswasappralsedof inthe Internationalmilieu, It wasinevitable

- ithatnon-stateactorswouldemerge.These~weréihé ~vemmS al orgariisauons,or NGOs. At the World Conf~ienceofHuman Nights in Vienna (Austria) In

~l99S, gov&rnihenti ahdTi pletïôrï afNGOs reasserteda coninnitiflent- to the

- goalsembodledIn the InternationalBifiof Human Nights. But the - mastsignificant developmentof thât worldtbnlference was the pni~ÛôIp~t1oiiéEifthousands- of new NGOs representedhuman nights advocatesall throughoutthe world, working nu the front lines ofthe strugglefor humancugnity. ‘They arethe futureof humannightsmovementandweIn theNorth and the Westmust ensurethat our brothersand sisters In Southand the East have the means topartiëlpate fully In the system. - - -

In addltlon to my universityresponslbilities 1 serve as eitecutive

We are undergoingone of the deepestrearrangernents ofglobal power sinethe blrth of lndustrIa~çMllsatlon; Thereare territorkil centresof power and therèare new, non-tèhtforlal centres ofpower, based ontechnology,computatlon, andHgh financa

61


We need a planboni of the claims

and demands ofeveryone of us In

our mutual commonlnterests that will

address thechallenges 1 have

outllned, whlleserving as a human

rlghts road map Inour stIlI uncertaln

post-Cold WarInternatIonal system.

director of the oldest contInuallyfunctlonlng human rlghts non-governmental organisatlon, theInternational Leaguefor Human Rights.The International League for HumanNights utllizes Its full consultativestatusat the United Nations In working topreventtorture,extrajudicial executlons,arbitrarydetentton,religtous intolerance,and disappearanceswhile defendingfreedom of expression, of conscience,ofthought, and the nights of women andchlldren.Oneof our primaryobJedüvesisto help NGOs from the developingworldgain accessto the Internationalhumannights system. We at the InternationalLeagueknow that our future efficacy ashuman nights advocateswil dependoncollaboration wlth developing worldadvocates.

Non-state participants (NOOs.advocates, and scholars) in theInternational human nights system areconstantlyappraisingand clarlfylng thecommon Interests of our ever-changingcommunity. WhIle necessarilydrawlngupon history, they have forced us all tolookto newconstitutiveand Institutlonalarrangementto apply thosestandardstowhlch we areall committed.A result ofthis appraislng and promoting is therecently created United Nations HighCommisslonerfor HumanNights. This isa hopeJiddevelopmeritfor human dignityin our post-Cold War Internationalsystem.

Perhapsthe most hopeful trend isthe growlng number of human nightsmonitor& The International League forHuman Right~ provides technicalassistancein the fleld to those monitorlngandreportinghumannights ahuses.Thistakesaspecialkind of courage.The lateHobertF. Kennedy observedat Capetown,SouthAfrica, In 1963.

“it Isfromnumberlessactsofwurageand belief that humanhlstory is shapecLEachtime a manstandsupfor an Ideal,

or actsto lmprouethelot ofothers,orstiikesout againstlnjustlce, 1wsendsout a tiny

rlpple of hope,andcmsslngeachotherfroma milhiorn different centresof energyanddaring, thoserIpples builda currentwhicheansweçpdown the mlghtlestwallsofoppresstonandreslstance”.

= That human nights monitors andadvocateshave the courage to continuetheir work at greatpersonalrisk, Is most

- hopefulfor all of us. Butwlth ourhumanr~ghtsstandards,advocates,challenges,andafew hopeftnl trends,wheredoesthisleave human nights and our speciesatthe cusp of the 2lst century?We are leftwith aspecificatlonof humandignity thatIs partial at best, unfultilled at most,partially sharedat least,and better thanany alternativeat worse.

- - - The wniterThomasMann observedthat “...man lives not only his personallife asanindividual, but also conscIouslyor unc5flsciously, the life of his epochand his contemporarles”- We have toclarify our goals, exarnine those trendsrelentiesslydrivlng us to the futuie. Wemust askourselves1f we like that future.1f not, we must consideralternailvesandIdentify those factors that will get us toa preferred future.

We are entering a phaseof the

psycho-soclaievolutlonof our speciesIn*hich humannights must be viewed asbelng at stakeIn every Interaction anddeclsion. That must be madedear. Itmustbe madedear to national elites byeveryone of us concerned for humandignity. Not long ago. the Secretary-Generalof the United Nations IssuedanAgenda for Peace~It underscored theimportanceof peacekeeping to theInternational conimunlty, along wlth aplan for peacekeepingoperationsIn thefuture.What weneednow, is an Agendafor Dignity. We need a plan born of theclaims and demandsof everyoneof us Inour mutual common lnterests that willaddressthe challenges1 haveoutlined,while servlngasahumanrights roadmapin our still uncertain post-Cold WarInternationalsystem. •

68

PERCEPTION & COMMEN1S

No one shdl be subJected to toi’ture or tocruel, Inhuman or degrading treati’nent ordlscrlmlnatlon - Un/versa! Dec!aratlon of

Human R!ghts, Dec. 10, 1948

Sulabh promotes human rîghts

S cavengersgo about practising theirprofessionof carrylnghuman excreta

on the head,genentionafter generation,without protestandrepresentailonto thepower that be. They have no forum, nounion nor any casteleader to plead fortheir salvation. Theseare the defencelesspeople, almost perpetuallywaiting for aredeemerwho doesntseemto be coming,now that Gandhiji Is deadandhis dream

of BhangiMukti (salvation of scavengers)lies broken In heaps.

Scavengersneednot be Introduced:weknow thembut refuseto menüon theirnames.We quietly dismiss them at thebackdoorsafter flinglng at them the daysleftoversof the kltchen. In small towns,these mysterlousfigures matertalise indark shadows early in the morning,stealthilyscurringbetweenlanesandby-lanes,deaningdiy-latrlnesand collectinghumanexcretaon theheadto the tankerswhlch cart It away to disposal spots.

And, suchpeopleare abouthalf amillion In the countrywho servicesome600,000dry-latn-Ines, about five lakh ofthem In Delhi alone. Of the total 3,245urban settlementsIn the country, only217 haveseweragesystemwhich servesamere one-flfth of the people there. TheestimatedlIve crore peoplewho usedry-latrines are more than the total numberof such peoplein the 25 countries-oftheThird World where servicelatrines are inuse. No wonder, India has the largest

number of scavengersin the world; InChina, family membersthemselvescleanlatrines.

And worsestil, many suchla4ines

are in knock-down conditions, as aconsequenceof which thesehaplesspeoplecarry night-soll on the headIn Jeaking

buckets after manually hauling it from- the pit. The social degradatton ofscavengersis revolting to the conscienceof any civllised society which is set

- wonderlng1f In the past there had beenany crueltymore hurting to the dignity ofman than scavenglngwhiçh is pradüsedIn India without fllnch or ipology.

Relievingthesescaycngersfrom thecruel and Inhuman task of manuallycleaning human e*creta Is thecommitment of Sulabh. And, thus,promote human nights. -

~WU9~~?M~&2Scavengersstarten In Indiadurlng Puran

period when people are divided into 15castesand one- bf the castes calledChandalwasallottedtheworkofcleaningand carrylnghumanexereta.The numberof dry-latrines Injcreased during theMugha] perlod when wonnen In Punlahwere provided wlth this Indoor facility.Later, It sprekd to other connnuriitiesaswell becauseof Increaslnginsecurity to -

women.Warriorswho wentmadecaptivesin wars,were also forced to clean latrlnesand, later, there emerged a dasa ofscavengen’swhobelongedto differentçastes

and social backgroundonly to witte in- the work of scavengingwhicb beçaxpeairInstitution and a running soreon India’ssocial structure.Ironically personsfromall the religions,ski. flindu, SIkh, Musilm

and Chrlstlan, arescavengçrstoday.

Once a stas~eng~r,always ascavengers.The people,whowerepushedInto this profession by compulstonsofwar or joblessness,never)mmeOut of It.Theybecameuntouchablesforever.TheIrnumbergrewsteadilyasmarginalpeople

Of the total 3,245urban settlements Inthe country, only217 have seweragesystem whlch servesa mere one-flfth ofthe people there.The estlmated livecrore people whouse dry-Iatrhes aremore than the totalnumber of suchpeople In the 25CountrIes of theTNrd World whereservIce Iatrlnes areIn use. No wonder,India has thelargest number ofscavengers In theworld.

~-t ~

~

PERCEPTION & CÖMMENTS

The law (Arficle 17and 42 of the

Constftution andthe Protection of

CMI Rights Act,1955) does not

help in this respectaf aH. The sporadicatfempts of private

persons. or socialorganlsaflons have

not changed thesftuat!on either. The

quesffon of soclalacceptabilily is nota matfer of law: It

Is an affftudlnaiproblem whlch has

to be solveddifferently.

SLAVERY OF WORSTKIND: Dv~she or doesnot have any right to

freedom?

withoutjobsjoined ranks.Thus, oncethedefendersof our landandreliglon becamescavengersof today. SurnameslikeChauhan, Bisen, Bhadwaria,Thakur,Rout and Bundela are clan names ofscavengers and as well as of Rajputwarriors who fought and feli for the

country and Its gloiy.

Gandhiji had mademandatoxyforthe inmatesof his flshram to cleantheseplaces, (Mrs. Indlra Gandhi had donethat). All the Priine Ministers had triedto help scavengers.Mr. Rajiv Gandhirevised the20-point progranune to Includeplans to end seaveriging.Recently, thePlanningCornmlsslonhartset up a TaskForce on scavengers and theirrehabifitatlon. (Dr. BindeshwarPathakisalso the memberof the TaskForce).

Uptil now roughly Rs. 100 croreshas been spent and about one million

dry-latrines have been-converted intoSuiabhpourflush toiletabut this is justabout10% of the totalneedidentifiedsofar, yet, wehave to cover a long distance.

In the sixth and seventh plans aprovision of Rs. 4,6~f1crorewasmadeforurban water supply, of which only Rs.938 - crore was spant on expanding orreinforcingtheseweragesystem.~dyt.

alsoimade efforts to that end but thosedid not go vety far. Scavenginghaamanylinkagessoctal, ecorroniic, historical and

attitudinal. 1liesehaveto be snappedone

by one before last of the scavengersIsfreed and rehabilitated in otherprofessions.

Scavengers,as professionals,havebeengrawingIn nuinber, first, becauseofthe general growth in population, and,second,becauseof the risingdemandfortheir servicesIn fast-growlngurbanandsemi-urbansettlements,most of wfiichareunplannedand,hence,unsewered.‘flilssituatlon has also producedready jobsfor them whlch arehard to come for otheruntouchables.equally poor. illiterate andouitaast. Soctally, scavengers areuntouchablesamonguntouchables.~Ibeyare completely sealed off from themainstreamof soctal life. The law (Article17 and 42 of the Constitutlon and theProteetlonof Clvii Rlghts Act, 1955) doesnothelp In this respectat all. Thesporadicatfèmpts of prlvate persons, or socialorganisatlons have not changed_thesituatlon either. The questlonof socialacceptability is not amatter of mw: It Isau attitudinal problem whlch has to besolveddtfferently.

- - Ï~e~ce~th~flrststep towardssolvirigthis probiem is the - total ban onsba~engirigand setting a firial deadline(iïîatiy had been set before) when thispracticewifibe deciaredunlawful.All clviebpcfiçsshouldwarn scavengarsthat Lheyshould equip themselves for othervocatlons by that deadlineand for sodoing clvie hodiesandvoluntaryagencies

should play a ieadlng role. The secondmastImportant step shouid be to makethe converslonof dry-latrinesInto ieach-

pit, watersealandflush latrinemandatoryand house-to-housesearch should beconducteri to ensure that none existsthere. Mr. NarasimhaRao, former PrimeMinisterhariset l9~7endas the deadline

to abollshscavenging~But, this doesnotseemto be possible.

As Mrs. Indira Gandhisaid In 1983that scavengingcould not ba abolishedwlthout providing an alternativ~to 11.Now, we have Sulabh Technologywhlch

70

\

Tworksindependentof the sewcragesystemand is hundredper cent pollutlon-free.

UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank, 5°

also the Government of India haverecognised this technology which Isworking well in 20 statesandoutsidethecountryaswell. ‘Iiie Sulabh systeindoesnot need scavenging; is fail—safe,appropriate to Indien conditlons and

affordable to all.

Once dry privies are converted,scavaigerswifi have to gtveup scavengirig.

They can be absorbedin othersanitatlonwork. Having done this, extensiveprogramme for their education andrehabifitation should be launched withfull publicity in the manner of amovement In all citles and townsof thecountry. Adequatemoneyshouldbe spenton such progranunefor scavengerswhoshould be persuadedand pressuredtochangeover to there professions. Someatteniptshavebeenmadeby the CentralGovL, State Govts. and voluntaryorganisatlons for the liberatlon ofScavengeiB.

However, these efforts andInadequateand sporadic. The diffusedthrust with Inadequate support ofappropriate altemative technology andfunds havesucceededonly in very smallmeasure.The problem of Ilberatingscavengersis too big to be salved Justlike that. It Is the time to organiseournational efforts and energy In order toabollshscavenglngonceand for all. Thenatlon must pool all Its resourcesandborrow, 1f necessary,from internationalleadingagenciesto obliteratethis stigmafrom Indian societywhichhurts ourclaim

to cIvIIlty and culture..

And, in so doing, at least for oncewe will be borrowlngmoney on interest

to restorehumanrlghts andsolveagreatsodal problem of human slaverywhichcaused in the past many wars in the

world, inciuding one In the US whlchPresident LJncoln had to lIght in 1862and fali eventually to an assassin’sbullets. This attempt Will also help inachievingthe nalssionof “Good Sanltatlonis the Need of the Natlon”. Minlstry ofWelfare, Mlnistry of UrbanDevelopment,

HUDCO and now the Planningtouimissionhave ~tarted their efforts inthe direction of the liberation of thescavengersandtherehqbllitationof their

wards and hopefully, this sub-humanpractice may be ramovçdby the end ofthe centurywhich wifi coincidewlth the

- targetofWHO “Heolthfor all by2000AU.

GandhljI had sald:’ “1f 1 were to bebom ag~1n,1 would like to be bom in thefanitly scavengersso that t may rel[evethem of the Inhuman, unhealthy andhateful practice of canylng nightsoil”.According to Hindu belief, a plous soulgets the blrth of his om her cholce. Inwhlch ev-ent, Gandhi,Jlshould havebeen

a 49 year-oldscavengersbanylnghumanexcretaon the head. So, let’s scarch forour lost Gandhiamongscavengerswherehe mustbe waitlng to be liberatedby hispeople.We have made hUn wait far toolong. -

In bending all its eflbrts to helpscavengers,Sulabhpreventshumanrightsabuseand promote~ new sodff ordemMir and just. •

Having done this.extenstveprogramme for theireducatlonandrehabliltatlon shouldbe launchedwlthfull publlcfly In themanner of amovementIn allcitles and towns ofthe country.Adequatemoneyshould be spentonsuch programme forscavengers whoshould bepersuaded andpressured tochangeover tothere professlons.

t 71

PERc~ËPTtON & COMMENTS

For want of toilets,batties were lost

CMIlsaHon begins from toilet- A Reporter

Toilet is a crlticallink between order

and dlsorder,beiween good and

bad environment.India Is faced wlth

the formidable taskof cleaning 900

million litres of urineand 135 mliUon kg.

of faecal malterper day with totallyInadequate system

of thelr coliectionand disposal. As

many as 750 out of950 million people

In India do opendefecatlon.

Sulabh InternationalMuseum qf Toilet,,

New Delhi

I nasurveyconductedrecentiyby Focus

magazlne(March 1997asreportedbyWilhIam Harstori In the Iridependent.

London), toiletwasfound to bethegreatest

Inventlonofmoderntimes,moreImportantthan fire, the wheel, steam power,microwave,computerand,lo andbehold,

atoinicweapons!!Toilet toppedthe list ofall InventionsIn the surveyconductedby1,000 researchers,-sciencewriters and

membersofthepublic. Disposablenapples(in 95thplace)wouldprobablyhaveearned

morevoteshadIt notbeenforcontraception

(in l2th). Computers,in secondpiece.havepushtd theprinting pressdowri to

third. but theoverallwinnerwas“the toilet

systent.Now there can be littie doubt that

proper sewergesystem, drainage and

iavatoiy paper have been responsible forgreaterhnprovementsIn thequalltyof lifethan anything else one can name.Deacribirig“the toilet system”.asthesinglemost Important lnventlon, suggestshow

ttineshavechanged.

‘liie Chinesehad primitive flush

lavatory4,000yearsago~theflrstrnodernwater closet was invented by Str JohnHarlngtonIn 1596.yetnobodycouldhave

considered“the toiletsystern”worthyoffirstplaceIn theroll of man’sIngenultybefore

Mr. A. Ashwell of HerneHifi patentedthe

Vaixint/Engagedslgnln1888!!Surely.Dame

Perignon’s Invention of the cork, whlchaidedthesecondaryfermentationneededtoproducethe flzz In bubbly, was worth amention. Instantcoffeesqueezedin at 100plaeewhileteabagsareabsent?ThereIsno

arguingwithDaVind’s genulsIn Inventingscissors(72).butwe seanomentionofIssacNewton’sgreatestcontributlonaf afl: the

catflat. And cananyonereally claim thatthe brassiere(88) has done more forcivilisatlon than the wet T-Shirt? Takenaltogether. this compilatlon of the “lOO

GreatestInventlons” Is seenas the~best

achleveuientsof mankind. Toilet tops Itall!!

To be true, toilet hasalwaysbeena

criticaLarea of man’s concern. Cynic

historlanssaythatPompeytheGreat(106-48) lost thewar on thebankoftheRubicon.

themythlcal river thatoncedivldedRomefrom CisalpineGaul (France). to Ceasar

notbecauseofthe cockleofthegeesethatwake up the sieepingRoman army butbecausePompey’sarmyhaddlarrhoeawhlch

had madethem too weak to fight Roman

sokliers.TheGreekslost thePeoloponneslanWar (378AD) to Spartabecausethe hugeGreek army had no place for toilet and

cholera broke out. creating panlc andcausingdefeatafter whlch Greekscould

neverrecoveragain.As long as man did not have an

establishedhome.he did not haveatoilet.He excreted wherever lie feit like doingso.When he learnt to have a fixed house.he moved toilet to courtyard and Uien

withln his home. Once this wasdone.Itbecameachaflengeto dealwlth the smeil

and the need was feit to have a toilet

PERCEPTJON & COMMENTS~-fl2~

which can Intake human wastesand

dispose them of out of the house!nstantly and, thus, help maintaincleanliness.Man tried various ways todo so l.e. ehamber pots, which werecleanedmanually by the servBnts or

slaves:toilets protrucllng out of topfourof the houseor the castieanddisposalof wastes into the river below, orcommon toilets wlth holes on the top

andflowing river or streambelow. While

the rich usedluxurlous toilet chairsorcross-stools,the poor defecatedalongroads, In thejungle or stralght Into the

ijver. It was only in the iflth century

that a technologicalbreakthroughcameabout which helped the human beingshave a clean toilet In the house.

Sltting typetollets In humanhistoryappearedqulteearly. In the remalnsofHarrappaclvfflsaüonIn India, at a placecailed Lothar (62 km from Ahmeclabad)andIn 2500 DC. the peoplehad water-home toilets in each house whlch waslinkS with drains coveredwlth burnt

day brieks. To fkcilltate operalionandmalntenance.It haswhat we cail todayman-holecoversandInspectionchainbersetc. It was the fïnest form of aanitary

engineering.J3ut with the dedlneof IndusValley Civlllsaüon, the scienceof sanitaryengineeringdlsappearedfrom India. From

then on, the tollets In India remalned

prlraitlve and open defecatlonbecameacommon practice. The archaeologlcal

excavationsconfirm existencecf sittingtypetoilets in Egypt (2100 HC). Though

we have been able to mechanise the

working of these toilets, the fonu andbasicformat of the toilet systeintemains

unchanged.

In Rome also, public bath-cum-toiletswerewell developed.There wereholesinthe Hoorand beneathwas flowing water.

When the Roman~travèlled, theyconstructedthe toilets for thetr use.The

stoolswere key-holetype so that these

To be true, waterand sanitaflon put

could be used for defecatlon aswell as toget her is a factorurinatlon. ExcavatlonsIn Sri Lankaand of production whichThailand too have brought out a should be sludiedconfraptionin whlch urineWasseparated along ‘Mth land,and allowed to flow whlle the other

- - labour and capitalportion was usedat the sametime fordefecation.Historical evidenceetiatsuiat whiie making piansGreeksrelievedthexnselvesnut of house. for national growth.There was no shynessin use of toilet. Water and - -- - -

It was frequent to seaat1hlnnetp~±tIeèidr~tfdfI6nIs not ontyIn Rome slaveabrlnging in urine pOts a heâith probiemmadeof silver. Members of the royalty but a greatdefecatedand playedat the sametime.

This practiceof covtrlngwaste‘wlth earth economicareaIn India continued tilI the Mughal era. wherelnvestmentisThe perlod between 500 and 1500 AD woefuiiywasa darkagefrom thep’olnt of view of inadeguate.hygiene. It wasnu en of cess-poolsand = - - -

humanexeretaall around. Rich rnan~s

housesandforts In India had extended - -

part from which defecatlonwasdoneand - - -

the exerementsfeil Into the openground - -

or theriver below. The forts of Jaiselmer

in India andbig housesori the banksofrivers bear testlmony to this fact. In -

Europe,It wasnu eraof chamber puts.

cess-poolsand cross-stools. 1- -

Based on this rudlmentary

A model of decoratedstonewareboUtusedIn early Rrltoin whlch was acrWcal stage In the evolution of

human clvllisatlon

—

PERCEPVON & COMMENTS

Scavengers are thepeopie who arehated even by

ttiose whose excretathey carry on thehead, generationafter generation,

without protest andwfth total

reslgnatlon. Theyhave no lobby, nopolitlcai platform,

nor any caste leaderto defend their

lnterests and seektheir salvallon from

this demeanlngpractice.

.74 ~

Information,onecansaythat ilevelopment

In civlilsation and sanitatlon systems

havebeenco-termlnus.liie more developed

a society,themoresanitisedIt was andvice versa. Toilet is part of history ofhumanhyglenewbich Is a crlttcal chapter

In theblstoryof human clvllisation. Toiletis a crltic.al link between order anddlsorder, between good and badenvlronment. India Is faced wlth theformidable task ofcleanlng900 mililonIltres of urine and 135 million kg. offaecaimatter per day wlth totallyInadequatesystemof their collectionanddisposal. As many as 700 out of 950milllon people In India do opendefecatlon.Seweragefacffiüesareavallable

to notmorethan 30per centof populationIn urban areas and ordy three per cent

of rural population has acceasto -pourfush latrlnes.

Theexcretarelateddiseasesbadgreat

past and, unfortunately,great“futurC Inthe Third World countrleswherethey are

majorkillers. Thesediseaseskilled thosewhocouldnotbeconqueredInthebattiefleld.

The excretarelatedenteric dlseasesare

lnvidiousinvaderswhichquietlyupsetthebody mechanismand destroymen and

nations wlthout anybody knowing much

aboutthem.Povertyand backwardnessofthe countrles,mostly In the troplcal and

desertzonesofAfricaandAsla,sufferbadly

fromthesesanitatlon-relateddlseaseswhich

Incapacitateman, dlntlnlshesbisability tothink and work, resulting In lowproductlvity,and,finally, In grlndlngpoverty

asis reflected In defeatand destltutlonofcivilizatlon.

Strangelyenoughenterlcdiseasesare

not often timely spotted,and the damage

they causeIs not adequatelyrecognisedeventoday. The PressIgnoresstonesonwatersupply andsanitatlon,becausethey

don’t make hot newsand thelr readingIs

diii] andsoporific. Nor canmany reporters

put the Informationand knowledgeaboutthem In attractive news packageto seil

themhotto readers.Nowonder,sanltatlonIsneverhighontheagendaofthedçveloping

countrleswhere It Is single most potentsource of poverty. bad health, lowproductivityand much cIscbesides.To betruc, waterand sanitationput together isa factor of prochuction whlch should beatudiedalongwlth land, labour andcapital

while makIngplans for natlonal growth.

WaterandsanitatlonIs notonly a healthpmblembut a greateconomicareawhere

lnvestmentIs woefully Inadequate.

Accordingto theIJNDP.India’s totalexpenditureon healthIsabout6percentofIts GDV-Tess,thanInAlgenlaandNIcaragua.

Moreimportant,asmuchas80 percentofthisexpenditnreIs IncurredIn urbanareaswhere most Indians do ~ot live. In otherwin-ds, most of Lndlans, especially thepoorest,havelittleonno accesstoanyformöf healthcareandaanitatlon.

Sanitaüonis not only the problemofkeepingclean; It Is a developmentIssue

wlthout which a healthy society Is notposslble. It is nu economic problem ofraislngproductionand~productIvlty.Dueto lack of proper sanitation,about 105

milbonchildrenbelow live yearsof agedlecachyearwhlch is about one-tblrdof thetotalsuchdeathsin theworld. Asmany as50 diseasesare causedfor lack of propersanltatlon. And, over 80 per cent ofpopulationareaffectedby them.Themastwidespreaddlseasesin thepourcountnies

aretransmlttedbyhuman faeces,themostcommon of IntestlnalparasiticInfectlous

dlarrhoea,typhoid andcholera. Experts

say that whip-wonns and roundwormInfection rate In pre-school-chlldrenmay

beashighas40percent.Apart fromotherthings, thesediseasescripple man and

makethemunproductlve.Opendefecatlon

defliesecology, swt isp~urcesandcausesstlnk In Inhabitatedareas. Man isexposed to nakedness, a whollyunacceptablesltuatlon In a civlllsed

society.

- Sanitatlon Involves waste- dlsposal

PERCEPT1ON & COMMENTS

systems,watersupply,seweragenetworks

and presenvlngecology. And, cm all thesecounts,IndIa Isverydeficlent. Ourcltles

and townsare arnongthe dirtlest In theworld. The stinking uncleanedgarbageheaps.aIargenumberof peopledefecatlng

in the openor urinatingup thewails evenin the so-calledposhareas,degi-adedland

anddestroyedforests, -all theseIndlcatebadhealthofthepeopldilvlngInadccaylng

society. ‘hherearestil morethan aix Iakh

scavengersIn the countrywho physlcally

cleanandcarryhumanexcreta,workIngon

60lakh servIcelalrines. Scavengensarethepeopiewho arehatedevenby thosewhoseexcrctaLhey carryon theheail.generatlon

aftergenenatlon,wltboutprotestandwith

totalreslgnation.Theyhave no lobby, nopolltical platform,non anycasteleaclertodefend their Interests and seek theirsalvatlon from this demeaningpractlce.

Moderncivlilsatlon hasdeepened,ratherthanlessenedthe problemof scavenglng

andopendefectlon.As populationgrewsoalso the numberof scavengersIn townsand elties. flie Increased appllcationoftechnologyhas createdweaffii centerS,touchlngoffmigratlonofpeoplefar beyond

the capacityof cltlesand townsto supportthem.

Largeand festeningcIty slumswhere

lumpenandsexuallyproductlvepeopleliveIn vaxylng state of deprlvatlon are thevictims of our age. WIth expanslon In

Inhabltableareas,scopeforopendefécationInclticshaveshnunken.Nowonder,people

areseeneasingthernselvesalongroads,

railway tracksand In parks-ahumiliatlng

slghL The seweragenettvorksarefor tooInadequateand expensiveto carry wasteand sullage. Consequently,morebucketlatrlnescameup In unauthorisedcolonles

and the numben of scavengers grew.Accordingto the 1981 ëensus,only halfa

pereentof rund populatlon In India have

accessto sanltartialrinéi.Andiboui522million peopledefecatein the open. ItIslike theentireEuropeanpopulatlonsittlng

on theirhaunchesin optadefecatlonfrom- the Elbe, in the East,to the Pyrenesa,in- theWest. In anUNDP - asslstedsurveyof

210 towns In 11 statesand threeUnionTenitories,itwasfoundthatonly27percent

of peoplehave flush latrl es,40 percent

- havebucket(ordry) latrlnesin12.78miflionhouseholdsandawhopping33percent(or

1043 million households)haveno toilet

facilitlesof anyvarietyat all. Thesearethe

peopleseenalong the rallwaytracks.Politlclans,captainsofIndustryand

economlcpundltswhogatl~erto cbantthefashionablemantra of economierelbrmseldom mentlon that such reform is

Incompletewithout reformsIn education,heajth and sanitaüonstatus.Industrlal

growth In countnleslike China,Malsysla

andThailandIs, In considerablerneasurt~,.

diie to heavy Investment In pnlmaryhealthcare,aanitationandeducatloaAndthe populatlonconferencein Cpiro hM

only reconfinned that the best way tocombatfertilityratestoprostldingtheprIma)’

healthcareto mothers and children andprimaryeducatlonto girl çhildren.

Ofthemanythlngsthatwill makea

slzeable dlfference In the pace ofdevelopmentandraistptôductlon,cleanlivlng condltlon Is very Important.Sanitatlon Is a baslc conditlon fordevelopment,anInput to ratseproduction.Or all that Is soughtto begainedthrougheconomicreform wil be lost for want oftoilets. •

Modern cMllsatlonhas deepened,rather than lessenedthe problem ofscavenglng andopen defection. Aspopulatlon grew soalso the number ofscavengers In townsand cilies, Thelncreased -

appilcatlon oftechnology hascreated weafth -

centers, touching offmigratlon of peoplefar beyond thecapacify of ciflesand towns tosupport them.

PERCEPTION & COMMENÎS1 could see people easlng themselves In thesfreetC, Sir DcMd Gore- Boom, British HighCommissioner in india during the Queen~svisit to Delhi in October 1997

Towards a cleaner society

When the Queen ofBritain madeuncharltable

remarks onsanltation the other

day, she was onlyspeaklng the truth.Of the many things

that can make asizeable difference

In life-style, cleanHving condltlon Is

very Important.

I ~shouldnot takethe Queenof Brltalnto say that Delhi Is not a clean cIty

non wasthe BrItish High Commlssloner,SIr David Gore-Booth. first to notlce“peopleeaslngrthemseiveson thestreets”during their vislt to theCapltal theotherday. About 750 million people (out of950 mifilon populatlon) defecalrin theopen along railway tracks and In openpark. It is like the entlre Europeanpopulallonsitting onthelrhaunchesfromthe Elbe In the East, to the PyrenessInthe West.

The severityof the problem cao bejudgedfrom the fact that hardly 20% oftheurbanpopulationhasaccessto fldsharrangementsconnected tcrsewetagesystem; 14% have water-basedtoilets -

connected to septlc tanks. 33% havebucket latrlnes and the remaining33%do nothaveaccessto anylatnlne facllity.The coveragein rural areas Is only 3%.Nearly 89% of the population In India(about 750 million people)eltherdefecateIn the open or usebucket/dry privies orusecommunitytoilets.Nurnberof bucketprivieshasbeenestiinatedat 7.6million,of which 5.4 milllon areIn urbanarens.--LossIn working days due to dianhoealand resplratory diseasesandtuberculosiswork out to millions every year.Accordingto the World HealthOrganlsatlon(1992),everyyearabouteightmilllon new casesof tuberculosis are added globally, wlthIndia: accoimting for 1.2 rnllllon of thisnumber 5 per cent of our populauoncarry the hepatitis if virus which causesjaundice, a potentlally fatal dlsease 1fleft untreated:and annually about 2.11per cent of people are Infected wlthmalarla. Approxlmately,the samenumberof births occur In china and IndIa, butthe death rate among chlldren is threeUmes higher In IndIa. - - -

The survival and well belng of anaüon dependon sustalnabledevelopment

whlch is a procesaof socialand economicdevelopmentthat satlsfiesthe needsandvaluesof all Interestgroups.Watersupplyandsanitattonareessentlalrequlrementsfor sustainabledevelopment.The former

World Bank ChaIrman, RobertMacNaniara,hadremarkedthat for bettereconomic growth rate and higherpï&fûctiVlty. emphaslsbasto be glven tothehSlth of thepeopleforwhichprovislonof public utillües like water supply andsanitatlonIs necessary.Benefits of safewater arelimIted wlthout sanitation.DiieIi hïsanifâtiohs~iterèoürsesgetpolluted,incidenceof diseasesrises,labourforceIsalrected, productlvlty of industry andagrlcultune fails putting stresses0fl

budgetary resources - needed fordevelopment and to strengthen theeconomy. Invariably people who areunservedwlth basic facililles like watersupply and sanitallonare the poor ones.They lack not only the meansto havesuch facillues but also Information onhowto mlnlinise the ifi effectsof InsanitarycondluonsIn which theylive. Due to rapldand uncontrolledurban growth, nearlyhalf of the populatlon in clties Indeveloping countries live in slums,pavementsand shantytowns.TheIr healthandphyslcalwell belngarejeopardlsedbyInadequatesanitatlonandgarbagedumped

--~TheBritish Queen and the PrimeMinister Mr. LA. Gujra.1

76

adjoining the placesof habitation. ThedebilitaUng effects of insanitary ilvingcondltlonsanddeterioratlngenvironmentlower the productive potenual of thepeople.

Sanitauon is a broad term andinciudeswater aupply.disposalof humanwaste. waste water and aôlid waste,control of vectors of diseases,domesticand personal hyglerie, food sanitatlon,housirig etc. ‘Iiie scopeof aanitationmayvary and emphasismay shift wlth theneedand communltles,but in developlngcountries,safe disposalof humanwasteIs very vital for lmprovlng thehealthandenvtronment.Studiescan-ledout In Indiaand abroadIndicate that humanexcretais the causeof many entericdiseasessuchas cholera, dysentery. typhold.paratyphold, lnfectious hepatitis,hookworm, dlarrhoea etc. Over 50infectlons can be transferred from adiseasedpersonto ahealthyoneby variousdirect or indirect routes from humanexcretaand causes11~ly8lBf ïfckness.Therefore appropiïate human was7temanagement should be the primaryobjecüveof Improvedsanitatlonto builda healthy natlon and provide a cleanerenVironment.

Sanitatlon Is not only the problemof keeplngclean:It is a developmentlssuewlthout whlch a healthy society Is notpossible. It Is an economic problem ofralsingproductlon andproductlvfty.Diieto lack of proper sanitatlon, about .5miflion children below five years of agedie eachyearwhlch Is about one-flfth ofthe total such deathsin the world. Asmany as 50 diseasest~anbe caused Intheabsenceof proper sanitationfacililles.And, over80 percentofslcknessIn IndiaIs due to Insanitatlon.Sanitatloninvolveswastedisposal systems.water supply.sewerageand preservingecology. arichheritageof man. And. on all thesecounts,the country Is deficlent. Our citles andtownsareamongthe dirtiestIn theworld.The stlnklng uneleanedgarbageheaps.a large number of people defecatingIntheopen or urinating up the walls evenIn theso-calledposhareas.degradedlandanddestroyedforest -- all theseindicate

bad health of the people Ilving in adecayingsociety. -

These are stili more than fourhundred thousand s~avengèrsIn thecountry who physlcally cleanand carryhumanexcretamanually,working on 7.5million servicelatrines.Scavengersarethe peoplewho arehatedevenby thosewhose excreta they physlcally carry.generatlon ~fter generation, without

- protestan~wlth total resignatlon.Theyhaveno lobby, no political platform, noranycasteleâderto défendtheir lnterestsand seek their salvatlon from thisdemeaning practlce. The Father of theNation had prortilsed to liberate thembut his promiselies brokenIn heapsforall to see and wonder how times havechanged. =

Modern elvifisatlon has deepened,ratlier than lessenedthe problem ofsanitation. As populatfon grew~so also

Most anclent wars werefoughtover money, land, power orwomen. But. the future confllcts,fears the Stockholm EnviromontlnstlMe, will break out over waterwhlch is tast becoming a scarcecommodity because of itslncreased use for household andIndustrial purposes. In whlch case,It Is necessary to conserve water.- The Sulabh twojitre toilet system Is

- a major stop towards scMng water,- maintalnlngL cleanhlness and, thus,

evérting future confilcts. Socleaniiness Is a must for preservingpeace. -

did the towns and c!Ues~The Increasedappilcation of technology has createdwealth centres. touehlng off migrationof peoplefar beyondthecapacityof cillesand towns to support them. Large andfësterlngcity slums wherelumpen andsexuallyhighly productive peoplelive Invarylng stateof deprivatlonarethevlcttmsof this uncleanage. WIt1-i e~cpans1oninliving areas, scope for open defecatlorFin dtieshaveshrunken. Nowonder, peopleare seensquatting along-roads. rallway

Sanitation Is not afashionableconcept; It is abasic condition fora civlilsed society,an input to ralseproduction andproductivity. Or else,whaf is sought tobe galned by goodeconomicmanagement willbe lost inuncleanedgarbage, slothfulworkers and iazywork style. After aH,It Is man, and notthe machine, thatmoves themountains.

-.77

- PERCEPTION & CÖMMENTS

To pay 50 paise fortoilet facilitles in

india shouid not bedifficuit even for the

poor 1f they areassured of

cleanllness. Suchpay and use toiiets

shouid be set up allover the country.

Those who arefound defecating in

the open orurinatlng up thewaiis shouid be

punished. What Iswanting is

- adequateawareness about

sanifation problemsIn india.

tracks and in public parks -- ahumifiating sight at that. The seweragenetworks are so far toio Inadequatetocarry wastesandsullage.Consequently.more bucket latrines came up inunauthorised coloniesand the numberof scavengersgrew. - - - - -

Poverty, marked by rapidlyincreasing population. inadequatenutrltion and crowded living conditions.are behind health problems. The mostwidespreatidiseasesIn thepoorcountriesare transmitted by human faeces. themost common of whlch are intestinalparasitic.infecuonsdiarrhoealdiseases.typhoid. cholera,andpobomyelitis.Theseare caused in the areas wlthoutcommunitywater supplyandsanitationlkcilitles. Their incidence is very high inpoor countries; One out of ëvery fourpersons in India has roundworms.accordingto asurvey:Expertssaythatwhip-wormsandroundwormInfectionratein pre-school children may be as highas40 percent. Apart from other thlngs,these- diseasescrippie man and- ankethem unproductive. Open defecatlendefilesecology,fouls water resourcesandcausesstlnk in Inhabitatedareas.- Manis exposedto nakedness.a whollyunaccrptable situatlon in a civilisedsociety. Open defécation is partly acultural problem also, for Indiaas - areprivately cleanbut not In public. Whenit comesto usingvüblic facilities. weare reckless Wejust throw thIng~withoutcaring about cleanllness:

Thereshouldbe law also,making Itmandatoryon everylargebuildingcomplexto set up common toilet facifities to lierun on the pay-and-use basis. cityadmlnistrators,voluntary organisations(includingRotatyClub) should have toiletcomplexesset up at easydistanceswlthaxrowspointlng to them.However.settlngup toilet complexesis not asilifficult asmaintalnlngthem. That is possibleonlyif they arerun on the pay-and-usebasis

as is done in the West. The stategovernmentshaveaskedSulabhto setupsueh iâcllittes at bus stopsand publicplacesalso,wherethey arekept absolutelycleanandrun on the pay-and-usebasis.

- Municipal toiletsare therefor all toSLefl3fld one wonden at the Ihilure ofpublic agencies in the area of basicsanltation. Perhaps It is unavoidable asthese complexes are set up from theamiual allocation given once, and later,thereIs no money to maintain them enthéidail)r b~sis7‘iiie pay-and-use willprovidefunds for their maintenance.It Isse]f-sustalning.- In France, for instance.onehasttrpaythreefrancs (or Rs.12) touse a toilet once. There is a revolvlngcabln; when the coin Is put In, it opensfor use. It Is almost the sameall overEurope Hencecitiesare clean.To pay 50paise for toilet facilities in India should

not be difficult even for the poor 1f theyartassuredof cièaniiness.Suchpayanduse toilets should be set up all over thecountnj.Thosewbqarefound defecatingIn the open or urinaungup the wails

should be punishecLWhat Is wanting isadequate nwar~nessabout sairltationproblemsIn IndiaWe spendlargeanlountaof money on beautificationbuLwhen Itcomesto spendingon toilets, we baulk.A society which cannot provide a cleanand shelteredtoilets & bath. speclaily forila women and children, cannot foreverendure.- - _~The~famoijsPeloponnesianwarbetweenGreeksand Spartanswaslost In378becausetlreekshadno tollets for theirarmy and epidemie broke out. A greatcivilization was. thus, destroyedfor asmall thlng - the toilet. The obvious 1hflis that the future of the country dependsonsanitationwhich Is themost Importantthing, next to population control. Wehaveto acceptthis fact in order to miseproduction and create a clean andcivlilsed society which India has alwaysbeen. •

76


Mars mania grips‘foïlefless’ world

an has reachedthe Moon, landed remote-~ controlled instrunients on Mars and onplanets farther away, cbmpressedl knowledgespanning severai centuries onto a tlny chip,cracked geneticcodesand cloned life. Yet for allthat Lmpressive achievement, half the world’speople have rio aceessto a toilet or a decentlatrine and must therefore remain susceptibleto epidernics like cholera and other water—bornediseasea.WhÉUIs worse, the numbersof thosedenied sanitation facilities have increasedfrom2.6 bilhion in 1990 to 2.9 bilhion in 1996.Highlighting tiTicabsence of rudimentarysanitationfacihities In half the world, a UNICEFreport bas polnted out that about 2.2 millionchildren die annusfly of diseasescaused by

unhygienie conditions. Al issue is waste matter contaminatingwater Suppiles, polluting open aftas and bre~dingvermin, thereport has said and underhinedthat the problem is rnost acute Inrund areaswhere only 18 per cent of the people worldwide haveaccessto a toilet or a latrine. In urban areasof developingcountries,over 37 per cent kick stichïâèlhilies And even therè, according tocountry. Uganda, for exampie, claims adequatesanitationIn about80 per cent oLhouseholds, but the figure shrlnks to Just three percent 1f pit latrines are excluded. Considering that the east ofprovidlng adeq%iate toilet or latrinesranges from five to~6(1dollars,the UN agency estiniates that the problem can be solved in ten -

years1f an amount equal toI~hpet cent~ofanlyeafsglobal militaryspending is set aside for toilet constructlxsn~rogtammès. - -

But as WHO’s rural health chief Dennis Warner notes.sanltation Is not a sexy issue and 1 goverfiments either do not havea political comnïltment or do not llke to provideservicesto tsquatters’.They hope the problem w111 go away, but It doesnt and lack offunds only aggravates It further. Most pertinently. the UNICEFreport points out, theWorld Bank-IMF inspired structuraladjustmentprogramnies have forced severaldevelopment nations to cut basicsenrlces like sanitatlon coli&ttuëtlcin. •

-7 - -Toilet in home

79

PROFILE OF DR. BJNDESHWAR PATHAK

One

The wanderer boy from Vaishaliasked for the moon and verynearly got It - A correspondent

man’s passion

Dr, Pathak says11t Is God’s worldand only He has

ihe rlght todestroy His

creation - a rightwhich we seek to

exercise bydestroying the life

and future ofdefenceiess

scavengers andtheir families. And,Itfis is the tragedy

of our time’.

Date of BtrthApril 2. 1943.

Place of BlxthVillageRampurBaghel,District, Vaishall,Bihar, INDIA

Education• 1964 Graduationin Soclology.• 1980 Master’sdegreein Sociology,

topping the list from PatnaUniversity, Patna -

• 1985 Ph.D.. on Liberation of

Scavengers Tbrough Low-CostSanitation” from PatnaUniversity,Patna.

• 1988 Master’s degree in Engilsh,topping the list from PatnaUniversity.

• 1994 D.Litt.on “Eradicatlon ofScavenging and EnvironmentalSanitationin India - a SociologicalStudy, PatnaUniversity, Patna.

ProfeosionFounder,SulabhSanitationMovement.

Indifferent to fame afld fortune,Dr.Bindeshwar Pathak works to rescuescavengersfrom the tyrariny of the socialsystem In which one man’s excreta isanothermans headioad.

Iç Ings.captainsandpoliticlansmakeheadlines by winning war or

making peace.Out, nothingis older (andcolder) than yesterday’sheadllnesandthosewho makethem are forgottenlikebaddreams.Thereareotherpeoplewhomissthe headlinesbut make histoiy. USPresidentBifi Cllnton is makingheadilneswhlle Dr. David Ho is making history.Dr. Ho, a Taiwanesegraduate at theCalifornia Institute of Technologyand aTIME’s Man of the Year (1996) Awardwinner, just askedthe right quesüons

andhe is closetofindinga cureforAIDS, the mostappalling curse t

for mankind. it

Similarly, Dr.5 1 n d eshw arPathak,workingawayfrom mediablitz to Improveenvironmentalsanltation,heaithand hyglene, is closeto solving agrëat iöciai jEroblem by abolishingscavengingand•In theprocess.makingahlstoiyiviiich siiû bé réténibâed much - --

after everythlngis lost In the silence oftime.

Greatmovementsfirst begin In themlnds of men hefore they spifi over thebrims to bring about enormouschangesIn the system. Social inequality,discrlmlnatlon, deep-rootedcastesystemand exploitation -- madeworseduringlong colonial rule -- havemadeIndia aland divided againstItself. Sucha societyproduces reformers~ crusaders,revolutlonarles or killers who seek tochangethlngsby fair meansor foul, Theseehange-agentshowever, had differentproblems or personswho agitated theirniînds.jesushadflomahProcuratorofJudaeaPontius Pilate;Ashokahadseenthie m~ïsü&ein the Battie of Kalinga;PrinceSlddharthwalkedpastadeadmanto becomeLord Buddha;Mr. IsraacMei-ritSinger’s (18114875)mmd wasagitatedoverhis wife’s struggllngto sewup his

tom ciothes:JamesWatt had watchedsteam blowing up the kettle top, theenergy whlch Stevenson turned Intolocomotivesthat made the world move.

- Lord Gibbonsaysall greatchangeshavesmall beginnings. However. the only

- c~mmonfttctor In all greâtev nts is thatright questiionswere asked as Dr. l-Iodid, soatioNéivton, müch, müôh before

80

PROF1LEOF DR. ØINDESHWAR PATkAK.

hlm: ‘Why does the apple fall?”, And,the world was neverthe sameagaiïr.

In lineswIth these,Dr. BindeshwarPathak also askedthe right questionswhenhismotherscoldedhim for touchinga scavenger-- the man who manuallycleansand carrieshuman excretaonlyto be hated by all and to remain anuntouchablein society. Who is thismysterlous, frail and frIghtened manflittlng betweenhis shadows, cleaningtofletsandstompingtheground to warnof his coming so that otherscould stayawayfrom his touch?What do they do?Whemedo they live? What is their historyandgeographicalapread?Why do peoplehate them while they do the mostimportantwork of keeping placesclean?And, while struggling to flnd:answerstothesequestlons, the SulabhSartttat(önMouernerztwas bom, more by accidentthan design1‘and that has changedthelivesof millions of scavengçrsandotherdisadvantagedanddisenfranehlseigroupsof people aa seldom any other sciclalrnovementdid before.

Dr. I3indeshwarPathak,Founderofthe&dabhSanitatfonMovement,is knownfor bis ~ntrIbutions in the fields of low-cost sanitation, liberation andrehabilitation of scavengers,preventionof envlnrnmental poilution, humanrlghtspromotion, creatfonof non-conventionalsources of enemgy ete by combmning inhimscff the traits of an engineer, actionsoclologist, plannem, adminlstrator anda soclal reformer. Bom In a respectableBrahmmnfamily. he Iriheritedhis passionfor sociai service from his maternalgrandfather,Pandit JainandanJha, aGandhianand a crusader.He saysheoweseverything to her mother, a pioussoul, who prayed for his sons.And Godansweredher prayer. Dr. PathakmaniedAmola Pathak(July 2, 1965)and jomnedthe Bhangi-Mukti (scavengers’liberation)ccii of the Blhar Gandhi CentenaryCelebrationsCommittee In 1968 whenhewasIntimatelyexposedto the problenisof scavengersIn India. And, that agitateclhis mmd when he startedasking right

questions. And a- migiity pan-Inditsanitationand social refonn movementrwasbom. -

Dr. Pathaknever tires of telllng howthe conditionsof scavengershad alwayapamnedhim and, once,whenhe taucheda scavenger,he wasmadeto make~khuIg~andurineto pwfflj hissoul.‘flils remamneda~lastingstar airhis conscience-whichffnally made hlm work for abolltlon ofscavengingin India. Dr. Patbaktravelledall over the country. visited and livedw[th scavengersIn thelr bastis.studiedtheir hahits and soclal mores (lie didhis Ph.D. on Scavenging),their bistoryand geographicalspread to eventua.lly

declarethat scavengerswere a specialciass(a basketcase)unitedonly In thelrmiseriesand soctal degradatlon.

After studylngscrlptumes,Dr. Pathakfound scavenging had no religioussanction either. He sald those whopmactlseduntouchabifitycoumilttedasmn;It is unproductive and revolting tomanuallycleanexcretaand~e areWüstlngthe wealthwhich can be profitably usedto raise farm production and generatebiogas which he bas demonstrateds-uccessfully. He sought to abolishscavengingnot only out of syrnpathyforscavengersbut also out of the belief thatIt is a primitive, expensiveanduncleanpractice which may create an explosivesituationwhenahlghly disafl’ectedgroupmay tumn lumpen and work to destroythe sociai systemwhich we took agestobuild. For that matter, the Sulabh isdifferent from other social movements;it is an mndigenous conceptbased one*~erfince ihd~ hai been tested

An eple campalgner

After leavingSchool. Dr. Pathak’smost immediateneed was to find aJob because therewas no money tobuy food, nor manypersons to iend tt.Trudging in tonkhadl pyciJcimas

~and brakenchappais, he didhis graduation andstarted iooking intothe future.

PROFILE OF DR. BINDESH WAR PATHAK

scientifically, combining in itself anappropriate sanitatlon technology~anideologyanddemandfor socialmorailty.

After leaving School, Dr. Pathak’smost immediate need was to flnd a Jobbecausethere wasno maneyto buy fooct,nor many personsto land It. Trudging countries. -

In tom khndt pyajamas and broken What marks Dr. Pathakout fromchappals, he did his graduation and the rest of bis ranks is his gçassrootsstartedlookingInto thefubire. The stofles SulabhSanitattonMouemerttthatalms atof his helpiessnessiaredepressingno less Improving the living conditions of thethan thoseof his later-dayachievements poorestamongthe poor. The Movementare uplifting to hear from the peopl~ is a peaceful revoit against soclalBoth of them are heard with eagemess prejudices, a flrm demand for changeof how a wandererBmndeshwarbecame and personalprotest of the “wandererPadmaBhushanDr. BindeshwatPathak, boy”. SulabhSanltatlonMovementhasawinner of Italy’s Seint FrancisAward pan-India swe~pcoveringall sections

for the Environment - “Canticle of All of peoplein almostall the Statesof theCreatures”; GoenkaAward and a string country. Sulabh has set up an Engllsh-of other national and international medium Public School, In New Delhi,awards and honours In recognition of for childrenof scavengerswith a view tohis seminal contributions in the equipping them to be able ~ocompeteinilberation of seavengers,soclal reforms. openjob market. Dr. Pathak says thatpromoting rural and urban sanitatton job reservationcannot take any soclaland, to top It all, working to createa group very far; ~t best, It is ~ashort-new socialorder basedon fairnessand - tenrr solutlon. Eventually, scavengersjustice to all, to be brought about not- ~wW have to lie trained,educatedandby violence but by persuasion and prepared to f1ght their own batUes,pressure.The Citationof the International in.4teadof someoneelseilghtlngfor them.Saint Prancts Prlze f5rErwlrânmerït H&haflet up fralninj centres;opened“Canticle ofAll Creatures”,Assisi, Italy - cells in the states to help liberated

says: “Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak is a seavengersget jobs; persuadedthepioneeringenvironmentalist,humanist. Govemment to cover scavengin~undersocial reformeranti renownedexperton the Protectlon of CWü Rlghts Act and

declara scavengIngunlawful. On hispersuasion, late Prime Minister RajivGandhi Included abolitlon of scavengingIn the 20-Pomnt Programme.- -

~

His most importantcontribution is thathe has drarnatisedsanitation to makeIt a natlonal and international lssue.‘Toilet” is the huzzword, freely usedbythe Queenof England.the PrimeMinisterof India and the common man. He has

successfiillyusa!thepowerof maasmediato persuade the people into usingscavenging-freetechnology and acceptscavengersasequals.The impact of his

organisationshaverecognisedhis goodwork to liberate scavengersfrom thedemeaningpççofmanuaLUyhandlingof human waste in areas of highdemographicdenslty - India, Pakistan.Bangladesh,Nepal and other developing

What marks Dr.Pathak out from

the rest of his ranksis his grassroots

Sulabh SanitatlonMovement that

aims at improvingthe iiving

conditions of thepoorest among the

poor. TheMovement is apeacefui revoit

against sociaiprejudices, a firm

demand forchange and

personal protest ofthe ‘wanderer boy’.

Dr. Patltak witlz fwnily

the low-cost sanitation technology”.Many internationalagenciesand natiorial

82

PROFILE OF DL BINDESHWAR PATHAK

campaignbasbeenenormous.Dr. Pathakhas becomea household name, muchsought after by decislon-makers, Govt.

agencies,social actIvists. acaderniclansandthe scavengerforwhom lie is a borg-again nesstah. He succeeded inpersuadingMr. Morrls Strong,Secretary-General.to the Rio’s EarthSummit(1992),

to take it on Agenda-21. AL a - seriesofthe Water Supply and CollaborativeCouncil Meetings at Rabat. Manchester,

Colorado and Manila, Dr. Pathak warnedof shrlnklrig v. ater supply and fkllingstandard of sanitatlon, specially in theThird World countries where most poor

His achievements at a glance

• Townswhere SuLabhworks

• Districts whereSulabh

• States/UnionTerritory• PersonsuslngSulabh

facilities

• Sulabhsoclaiworkers

a social questlon but an economicchallengealso becausean uncleanandurihealthysocietycannotralseproductionandproductlvlty. He has setup the first

~Museum of Toilets in the world toencouragestudyand tesèarchori toiletdesigns;setup various engineflg. andresearchcentres to coördinate globalefforts at promotlngsanitajion.Scavengingis only onepart ofthe Sulabh SanItatlon

- - Movement, the other part is to create anewsanltatiori order to keep the peoplehealthy and productive. He has provedthat serving the people can also be aprofitable work.

“Sen.’e & eara” hasbeenhis slogan.He says any soelal organisationwhichIs economicallynot vlable cannotgo veryfar. The aid and subsidy regime cannot

endure; money will dry up and themovementwIll fail. Therefore,he bas beenpressingthe Governmentto give NGOsservicechargesothat they canmakea

- living by servingIn villagesan4 look after68 their families as well. Theseand many

more arerni the impressiverecordslistof Dr. Pathak who hascomblned the

3,500 - Suiabh Sanitauan Movement with the

~ Gandhianideology andgood eçØnonilc~.works __= -“They mix very welJ~all thatw~have to

do is to roll up our sleevesand try”, lie

10 miUlon says.Dr. Pathak broadlyseeksto achievethe following objectlves through the

every day SulabhSanltatlortMovementlaunchedIn

1970. -

live andsuffer In variousways.For once,it was realisal thatgeographyandpoilticalsystemsdon’t divide the boundarlesofnaturewhoseca~pacityto meettheman’sgrowing need is dlxninishlng followingthe rise in population and the level ofconsumptlon.And. if It happens,leadersand expertsof the world fear, the da~of moderncivilisatlon maybe numbered.

Dr. Pathak hasbeentravellingroundthe world, telling ieadersand decIsion-makers that the growingpopulationandthe consequenturbanisatlonhavecreatedthe sanitation problem which Is not only

• To liberateseavengersfrom the cruelpractice of carrylng human excreta

- on the head (a dreamof Gandhijiwhich never came true in hislifetlme) and to rehabifitate themIn otherprofessions after trainingand educatlon. About 50,000scavengershavebeenliberatedandre-setiled In other professions sofar. - --

• To prevent environmentalpollutloncaused by open defecation byproviding affordable. indigenous,

-- scavenging-freeand susta[nablepour-flushtoilet systemIn individual

• Scavengersliberated

• Sulabh household toflets• Sulabhcommunlty

toilet blocks• Humanexcreta-based

blogasplants

40,5008.00,000

3.154

• Townsmadescavengingfree 240• Scavengerstralned&

reset Lied

Dr. Pathak Is anepic campaignerfora clean, heaithyand adiscrimination-fteesociety whereJustlce will beensured to all, mostspeclaily to women.This is his dream forwhlch he is readyto make anysacrlfico and bearany burden whiletravelling to theend of the world insearch of a newfuture.

~-83

PROFJLE OF DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK

Dr. Pathak says•Most miserles are

caused by thehuman desire to

ruie over others. it Isci matfer on which

history does notcorn ment; It Isassumed. And,

those who soughtto acquire the

power to controithe life of others

are lost in thedeeper shadows of

antiquily’.

housesandat communitycentres.The toilet facifities set up by Dr.Pathakis now belng usedby about10 million peopleper day.

• A largenumberof well-off familles,including Prime Minister, Mr. IK.Gujralandotherleaders,judgesandacademicians, have adoptedscavenger fainily as and part ofsocial upgradationprogramme.

• To obtalnblogasfromhumanexcrel.a

for Its varioususesandalso to obtalnorganic manure for raisingproductivity of the soil. As manyas63 such plants have beensetupin India. -

• Women‘5 empowerrnent throughedueationand training

• Rural development through use ofIndigenoustechnologies.

fl[ECHNOLQ9V ~AÇKmtW

Dr. Pathak has raised & micro-levelprojecton low-costsanitation(st&tlngIn 1973 from Arrah, a small town inBihar where lie put up two pour-flushtoilets by demonstration) to the macro-levelwhen sanitatlonis globallsed-V.TheSulabh technology has been wldelyacceptedbecauseit Is effective, technicallysound and susta.inableat-micro aijdmacro-levels. No individual in India- hasraised the technologyapplication from

a small town to an international levelwhen UNDP (World Bank) ancLothernaüonalandInternationalagencieshaverecoinmended Its adoption in othercountries.

Technologyhawplayedaverydecisivemle in the SulabhSanitatlonMovement.The Suiabh technologyIs a verysimpledevice,animpravtSen~onthose alreadydevelopedat PRAI, Ldckriow. By usingthis technolo~r~~herbWffl be no needto physlcally clea.n~human excreta.Thiswasnamedas “SuLci.hhSha.nchnlaya”,andcould be adopted in differenthydrogeologicalconditlons with somechanges.He knew that slogans alone

will not help and, hence, developed atcchnologywhich hasbecomea crediblealternative to scavenglngin India. TheSulabhtwo-pit pourflushscavenglngfreetechnologyhasbeenadoptedat Habitat-f1 éôhferenceatIstanbul In June1996as a Gtobat Urban Best Practices”réëôinniadedfoi uséin other dévelopingcountrles a8 a viable alternatlve to thesewerage system. Because of thetècTü-ioIo~Icalutiderpinning, the SulabhSanitatlonMovementcan be coinparedwith the Industrial Revolution of 1848.

Dr Pathak coüvincedadministrators.plannersand engineersabout the successfulfunctioningof thetwo-pit pour-flush toilet in urbanareaswhich could be an affordable, safe andhygienic systemfor the disposal of thehumans~aste.tin tli&bSiioftSinoiogy,1* has jiâved the way for the liberatlonof the scavengersfrom the centurles-oldsub-human pnctlce of carrying humanexcretaasheadloadby convertingbucketlatrlnescleaneclby scavengersmin pour-flush toIlet. During MabatmaGandhi’slifetlme and-evert-after, attemptsweremade tadevelopa technologybut noneemerged. -

- F’ollowlng the rapid adoptlon of thescavenging-freeSulabh technology ofpour-flushtoilet system,240 towns havebeen freed from scaverrglngand 40.500scavengershave been Ilberated-and re-aettiedin other professionswhich wasmade possible by converting 8,00,000bucket latrines min Sulabh toilets in27 years. World Bank (UNDPI, WHO,UNICEF, and other national andInternationalagencieshaverecommendedSulabh tecimology use as a vlablealternatlve to the expensiveseweragesystem.SulahhhasbeendeclaredastheDest Global Practtce at Habitat-IlconferencesatIstnbuL,Jne, 19961

- Dr. Pathaksaysmostmiserlesarecausedby the human desireto mle overothers. It is a matter on which historydoesnot comment;It Is assumed.And,those who sought to acquire the power

84

PROFILE OF DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK

smallgood and re-pays 1dm maïiy timisover. 1f he has half the fortune of theworld, his frlends-say,he will spend Inhalf a day. (“Alt progressIs baseduponentrinate deslreto livebegondone’sincoine”,says Samuel Butler). His compassionis legendary,speciallyfor scavengers.His

entire life Is identifled to thelr miseriesand salvatioaHe asksquestionslike a

- chlld (a lxi why does apple falll) an-danswersthem like a philosopher He ismystlcal distantin thought and lost inemotionsas 1f constantlyin searchfornew frontiers. -

Alexanderonce said: “1f 1 were notAlexander, 1 would also have beenDiogenes”(a Greekfakirandphllosopher)

Dr. Pathak would havebeen afizklr if heware not the founderof the largestandthe most powerful soclal movementof

the secondhalf of this century.- ‘liie Founderhas a dream -- the

dreamof a scavenger-freeIndia where every fakir andhousewill have a toilet and every citycentrewill have-full sanitationfacllities.speciallyfor women whosehonour is thebasicIndicatorof a civilisedsocIety.Sincetost- scavengersarewoteri, brPathak

hasraadtspecialeducatlonandtrainingprogranunesfor them, firm in the beliefthat mankind owesto wtimen all that isbest and beautiful in our civilisation.“Women are the measureof our progressand the beautyof our lives but they arethe inost disadvantagedgmupandamongthe poorestin society,speciallyscavengerwomen”. He says that 1f a free societycannothelp the poor, who aremany. Itcannotsavethe rich, who are a few.

Dr. Pathak Is an epic campaignerfor a clean,healthyand a discrbninatlon-free societywherejusticewill be ensuredto all, most specially to women.‘This ishis dreamfor whmch he Is readyto makeany sacrificeand beeranyburdenwhlletravellingto theendof theworld In search

of a new future. ‘Itis is the stuff greatdreamsare madeof. And, that Is whatDr. Pathak’slife is all about. •

to control the life of otherste lost Inthe deeper shadows of antiquity.Exploitationis not modern; It is expensive,inhuman and uncivil. Ideallsm is alsoan economicconceptbecamesthis alonecan brlng about soclal benefits.Democracycanaccommodatemanythingsin its people -- - passion. ambitlon,setftshness,and evencorruption. But Itcannot long endure on the foundationof exploltation and soclal injustlce ofwhich scavengersare the worst victims.He sayspast, w~iIchis dead.cannot bea gulde to future which Is unborn.Indlansmust not carry the burden of the lostglory. No peoplehas sacrificedmore forthIs historical obsessionand none hasrecelved fewer benefits from IL

DR~PATHAK HAS A DREAM

Dr. Pathak is a loner although almostalways living in the midst of multitude.His attltude to life, wealth and power isthatof total resignationalthough he hasall the three in adequate measure tomakeany ordinaryman anogant.self-righteousand overbearlng.He loves Godand religion but listens to those whodeny them. His ordinarymannersmakehim look like the man next door, doingthe daily household work like reachingchildren to school,buying vegetablesandquarrellingwlth wife overbrokencups.He Is a lovlng father, devotedhusbandand a very caringheadof the family. Heis early riser. he hates shabblriess(wantszero mtstakecopy) and late-coming. Hesingsand,like Shelly, seessupremebliss

in the “song that teusofso.cldestthoqght’.He punishes peo~leby forgivlng themwhich hurts more than any otherpunishment.

Dr. Pathak doesnot forget the daysof his miserieswhen he worked as anerrand boy at a tea stali In Patna.Hekeepsall his fdends’and colleaguesofthose days in comfort and looks afterthem and thelr families. He remembersevery man who may have donehmm any

Alexander oncesaid; 1f i were notAiexander, i wouldalso have been -

Dlogenes’ (a Greek

phllosopher). Dr,Pathak would havebeen a fakir 1f hewere not thefounder of thelargest and themost powerful soclalmovement of thesecond half of thiscentury.

85

2. PrabandhakMahanMuzzaffarpur

3. BuildersInformation BureauAward

4. CivIc BettermentAwardBombay

5. National Citlzens Award6. PadmaBhushan7. The InternationalSaint

Prize for the EnvironmentCanticleofAU Creatures,

ASSISI. Italy8. Dr. Pinnarnaneni and Smt.

SeethadeviFourrdationAward.Vijayawada. AnclhraPradesh

9. BombayCltlzen’s Award10. ShahidBhup Slngh Award

for SocIal Work, New Delhi11. Rotary International

Spectre-93.Par ExcellenceAward for protection ofEnvironment -

12. RatnaShiromaniAward -

given by India InternationalSociety for Unity

13. Indira GandhiPrlyadarshlnlAward

14. MII Gold Award

15. Manav SewaPuraskar -

16. Vikas RatnaAward -

17. Llmca Book of RecordsManof the YearAward

18. Babu JagjivanRamAwardfor abolishingscaven’glng

19. NominatedDeputy Governorof American Biographical-Institute ResearchAsso-clatlon,California, U.S.A.

20. Michael MadhusudanDutt Award - -

1990

PROFILE OF DR. BINDESH WAR PATHAK

±~W~J~DSA~Q~HQNOURS .MeQRT~LNAT~QNAL.CQNI~Ef~RWON. DJ~... •~.CO EE~ENC~SANL~~ £~SEM

1. K.P. Goenka Memorial ORQ1~fl~YDR

‘~ ..BINDESHWAR PATHAK• - Corwerston of Bucket Priutes bio

San(tary-seatLatrines - Reporton aNatlonal Seminar - Convened by~Government of India In collaborauon

1990-91 with Wl~1OandUNICEF Patna- 25-1991 27 May, 1978. -~

1991. S RegbonaiConferenceon Low-CostPour-flush Latrines - Sponsored by

- Governmentof India/UNDP - atUdaipur and Udhagamandalam,

- (OOTY) during August - October,1982~ - — ---

• National Conference on Low Cost - -

S-Sponsored byTheGovernmentof Ïndia In collaboration

- - with the UNDP. New Delhi. May 19-~1992 20. 1984. -

• - Serntnar on Bio-gas from Human1992 EKc~eta- A State Level Seminar -

Convenedby - Sulabh lnstitute of- TedIÏilcaJResearchandDevelopment, - -

Sulabh International.Patna.Biharj99~3 on-26-27 November,1984.

- ~- - - -. SeminarorLLow-CostSanttation to- eradkute&rwengfngandrehczbtlitation

- organisedby Urban Developrnent~- Department,Governmentof Uttar

-PradeshIn collaboratlanwithi-lousirlg-- - andUrbanDevelopmentCorporaüon.1994 ~ jf~Indja and lal~

---1995 International at Lucknow (U.P.)

1995 January,1987.• FYrstNatk,nalConferenceonRuraland

1995 Urban Water and Waste WaterManagement - Organised by

1997 Institutlon of Public HealtkEngineers(IndIa) Delhi Centre on

- = 16-18April. 1987.• Rural&znitat(on andHealth - Lecture

delivered at Lal Bahadur ShastriNatIonalAcademyofAdmlnlstration,

Mussoorle - July 2. 1987.• Astan Regional workshop on Solar

Energy Utilizatlon and PowerGeneration- September9-11, 1987.

• AU India Seminar on Operatlon andMalnterianceof Urban WaterSupply

1997

86

PROFILEOF DL BINDESHWAR PAÎHAK-— ~ •.h’~~_~~

andSewerageServtces- Deslrabllityof Adopting Low-Cost Sanitatlon -

September15-17. 1987.• ReglonalWorkshopon HoustngActfons

Shelter in Asla and the Pacific -

ExperiencesIn Low-Cost Sanitatton- September 19-22.1987.

• ScavenglngFree Schemefor FourTowns of Arunachal Pradesh -

Preparedby SulabhInternational -

February.1988. -

• NOIIOrLOI Seminarand Exhibltlon onoccasionof Visit of Mr. S.G. Pltrocla-April 11. 1988.

• One-daySeminaron StrategtcActionfor Heaith andSanItatlon, In Delhi -

Organlsedby - SulabhInternationaLNew Delhi - October 12, 1988.

• Seminaron Low-CostSanI.tation- AtMadras - October25-26, 1928.

• InternntlonalConferenceofAs&~iat1onof Soutlt - Central - West AslaCourztrtes - Indian Water WorksAssoclatlori,New Delhi - November21-24. 1988.

• Vtewson IntegratedSchemeof theLiberatton of Scavengers andImprovement1fl SanitatlonGuldellnesCirculatedby HUDCO, New Delhi -

September.1989. -

• Two-Day Workshop on EvaluativeMethodsApplledin SanltattonSector- India International Centre, NewDelhi - May 23-24, 1989.

• Ta,sk Force art the Problems ofScavengers- Prelirriinary Thoughtson the Issues - August 1, 1989.

• Indto.nSocietyofffealthAdmlnlstrators- State Level Conferenceon Healthof the Metropolis. Bangalore -

September8-9. 1989.• Second Conference on Buildtng

Industry; Hotel Meridian, September21. 1989.

• Sulabh Internattonal Ploneer in&ni~’engfngEradlazîioa- February21.1990.

• Low-CostSanltattnn- August. 1990.• Erwlronment and Human Waste -

September.1990.• Health and Sanitatlon wlthSpecial

Refereiweto Excreta - Disposal InRural Areas - October 15, 1990.

• Erwlronmentand Human Waste -

September.1990.

• Sulabh International - ObJecttves.Actiulties and Achleuernents -

September.1990. -

• Training Proposalsfor Bihar StateUnderNehruRozgarYoma- Housingand Shelter UpgradelionScheme-

December,1990.• Sulabh Shauchalayaand Sulabh

Comptexes- January.1991.• ApproachesandStrateglesfor Rurat

SanttoitonIn 1990s- January.1991.• Sülabh Shauchalayaand Sulabh

Complexes- UT - February2. 1991.• Programme for Eradtcatton of

Scavenging- May 7. 1991.• Frogmmmeof&adkritkntofSawenglrig

- - August 27. 1991. -

• TmbilngandRehabilltationof DlvorcedWomen - PusadDistrict Yeotmal,Maharashtra- August, 1991.

• &zsfc&znltatlonIn theContextofRapidUrbanisatlon - Drinking Water andSanLtationIssuesfivmthe7lifrd WorldPerspectlve- NewDelhi 0fl Noyember

- 14~I6,1991.• Second Congress of Tox~colsgyIn -

Developing Countrles -- Health andSantt.atjonon November24-28; 1991.

• Lok SwaraJ Sansad-- New DelhiSulabhExperiencesIn S~cIa1Reformand Developmenton December7-s. -

1991.• InstWLtlonofPublic HealthEnaji~eers

- (Inclta) - Slxteenth NatlonalConvention 0fl - EnvironmentalEngineering, Shantinlkeian. WestBengal - February 21-23, 1992.

• ~Self-Manoged Instltuliort for IntegralDefelopment-ÂpriI, f992.

• Workshop0fl Des~qn,TÇC!nqIpQJJc~n~i-

Processfor Pi-lriiary SchootBuilding - - -

Org~nIsedby’Mfrilstry of HumanResourceDevelopment,Governmentof India at Delhi on April 11. 1992.

• Seminaron EnvironmentalP~otëctfonandDevelopingCoun - Prev~zitlonof Environmental Po1lut1on~and

- EntericDiseasesaL Delhi - throughLow-Cost Sanitatlon - May 12.1992.

• Nattonal Training CourSeon Energyfor Rural Development- Organisedby- Centrafor IntegratedRuralEnergyPlanning.Bakoil. Alipur. Delhi - May

--25-30, 1992. 1 - -

• NGJJs Workshopori UNCEDConference -

PROFILE OF DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK

88’

- Improvement In the Quallty of Lifeand Human Heaith through Low-Coat Sanitatlon. New Delhi - May11-12, 1992. - -

• Seminaron Env(ronmentalProtectlonandDeveloptrigCountries- Preventlonof Envlronmental Pollution andEntericDiseasesthroughLow-CostSanitatlon - May 12. 1992.

• SeminaronMake theEarth a SourceandHospitableHome- Organisedby- IndienFederationof UnitedNationsAssociations. New Delhi - June 5,1992.

• 7)ritnlrig andRehabiLitatlonofLiberatedScavengersand their Wardsin DelhiandAdjofrttngAreas at New Delhi -

June, 1992.• Two-Day Workshopon Provistonof

SulabhShauchalayaIn DelhiHojruesOrganised by - Sulabh

International - June20-21, 1992.• Propasalsfor ImmediateImplantatlon

of theFadllltlesfor the Tralrtlnq andRehabWtatlonofLiberaiedScavengersand TheIr Warcis in Delhi andAdjotningAreas - August. 1992.

• Natlonol Seminaron - ‘fl~iePoliticalSystem- SocIolDiversWes- NatlonFbrrnatlon andtheConstit~i1ionat IndiaInternational Centre, New Delhi onAugust28-29 1992.

• Workshop on - Media MassCommunleattonandEnvtronmeritatPatna - September.1992.

• Prees Conference at IndiaInternational Centre. New Delhi oriOctober 30. 111992.

• Follow-upWorkshopon EarthSummltNewDelhi - November 13-14, 1992.

• Dr. Ptnnamanenicmii SmLSeethadeutFoundation - Speech on SoclalReformsmi December 16, 1992.

• Seminaron Sc,clal JusticeEqualityandMovementsofEmandpatlon:RoleandRespecuveof Dr. B.R Ambedkar(1891-1956)atAgraInstituteofSoclalService. Agra on December 22-23.1992. -

• SaueEarthSernlnrzrsl993atPatnaon February12-21, 1993.

• StateLevelWorkshopon Sanltatlon-

Organised jolntly by - MadhyaPradesh. PHE Departmeflt andUNICEF at Bhopalon October l~-6.1993.

• Seminaron Secularisni,PreceptandPractlce at Patna on November 7,1993.

• MeétlngofExperts on BLogcisfromHuman Waste - Institutlon ofEngineers - (India) ~uIldlng~_BahadurshahZafar Marg. New Delhion November 8, 1993. - - -

• ïrffegrczte Ïevetoprnentfor ImprovlngtheFarnlly Life In RumiUttarPradesh- Organisedby - Govt. of U.P. at

- - Lucknowon December21-22, 1993.• Seminaron - Bastc Canstruetlonal

Vaiuesandflietr Implementatlon- atIndia InternallonalCentre.NewDelhion January8. 1994.

• Water, Santtatlon - and DtarrhoeaContmiatPalriami Janumy15, 1994.

• RegtonalSeminaron PartnershipinMunlcipalLnfrastructureServices,NewDelhi on February 7-11. 1994.

• S~i,.4jforInternationalDevelopment,Patna Chapter - Eradicatlon ofScavenging and EnvironmentalSanitatlon - March 24. 1994.

• InternationalConferencein ShaplngThe Feature By Law : Chlldren,Erwlronmerit and Human Health -

Organlsed by - The Indian LawJnstitute, Delhi on March 21-25,1994.

•~~Internationoi Conferencemi Shaptngthe Chililren by Law : ImprovernentIn the Qualit,y of Life. New Delhi on

- April 30, 1994.• NndoiialSeminaronRumiDevelopment

and lts impact on Envtronrnent -

Öi~ganlsedby - Rural YouthCoordlnation,Amnour.Saran(Blhar)

- - --J~ne5,ï994. -

• Seminaron HlmalayanConservallonProgramnie - Goverriments- PeoplePai-t1c~pattnrtat Vlgyan Bh~awan.NewDelhi - Toilets in Gangotrl Belt InHimalayan Region - Organised by

- - HlnialayanEnvlronmentTrust wtth1- Support of the Mlnlstryof

EiivIronin~nt~id Foresta,Gcivt. ofIndia on June27-28, 1994.

• TrainingP~ogmmmÉon PlanningandMa~z~nt of Urban Services -

Organlsedby- National InstituteofUrban Affairs, New Delhi - Low-CostSanitatlon - Sponsored by theDeporlmeritofPersonaland Traln1rIg~Govt. of India mi August 8-12. 1994.

PROFJLE OF DR~BINDESHWAR PATHAL

• AU India MatthtU Conference atDarbhanga (Bihar) - ProspectsofSdentfflc and TechnicalDevelopmentIn MithIla mi October. 1994.

• The First National ConservationCongress- Organlsedby - TheWorldWide Fund for Nature India, NewDelhi on November 21-23. 1994.

• Natloncji Conventionon Envlrorimentof India - Challengesfor the 2lstCentury - Organisedby - IPI9E (India),Calcuttaon November23-25, 1994,

• UnitedNationsConferencec)ItHurnanSettleriients (Habttat II) ZonalConsultatlonofNGOs/CBOsofËastemRegton - Hosted by - SulabhInternational Soclal ServiceOrganisation. Patnacm - r)é~eniber3-4. 1994. - - -

• International Seminaron Dlsasters,Envtronment and Development-

Oxganisedby - ‘The IGU Study Groupcm Development IssuesIn MarginalReglonsin Collahoratlonwith TLN.IDNDR Secretarlat and- -otherAgencies.Delhi on December 9-12.1994.

• World Congressmi uocatloriolfsatlonof ErwlronmentalCongressat IndiaInternational Centre, New Delhi onDecember 17-19. 1994.

• Seminar on ProfesslonallsatlonofEnvironmentolManagement- WorldCongresa on Vocatlonallsation ofEnvironmental Congress al IndiaInternationalCentre,New Delhi onDecember17-19, 1994. -

• Natlonal Conference of NGOs onIntegratedDevelopment- InnovativeApproaches Organised by -

Consortium for VoluntaryActlon.New

Delhi on January22-23. 1995.• Governmentand Non-Government

O~ganIsationpartnershipIn IntegratedUrfrmn InfinstnictiireDevelopmerzt,NewDelhi mi February2. 1995.

• Seminar on Integrated UrbanInfi-aslructca-eDevelopment- Organisedby - HumanSettiementsProgranime,New Delhi on February 1-4, 1995.

• Seminaron Urban Envtranment-

Organised by - Centre forEnvironmerit Studies School ofPlanningandArchitecture.NewDelhion February7-10. 1995.

• XVI Natlonal Conferenceof ISSAonDfrnénstonsqfbeueIopn~ent- Organlsedby - Departmentof SociologyKashiVldyapeeth,Varanasicm - February10-12, 1995.

• UNDP Prirliajne’ntarlans Forum forHuman Development- Projecf - onIntegratlon - at ParliamentAnnexe,

New Delhi on Februaiy20, 1995.• Tlifrd International Conferenceon

Approprtate Waste ManagementTechnologlesfor DevelopingCowitries- Orgariised by InternationalAssoclatloncm WaterQua]lty, LondonIn asso~iat1onwith NatlonalEnvlrcxnmenta.lEngiïiee±higItèsearch 1

- Institute. Nagpurmi February25 -

-26,1995. . --

• InteractW~Workshop mi NationalRDgrammeonSanltattonandHygleneon the LlnesofA TechnologyMlsslon --

- Oï-ganlsedby - M~nistryof Healthand Family Welfare, Govt. of India,New Delhi - Need for a TechnologyMission for Sanitatlon - April 10-12, 1995.

• SthInternationalCongressort- Human -

SettlementsIn DevelopingCountries-

Organisedby - Centre for HumanSettiementInternational. Calcuttaon May 25-27. 1995.

• ElghteenthCourse on Urban PlanAdmnzyittcm- Orgimlsedby - IndlanInatitute of Public- Administration,New Delhi on - July 17-28, 1995. —

• Symposiummi Role of NGOs in theCori1S~eTVaUonôTËiiT,fronment -

Organlsed by - NatlonalEnvironmentalScienceAcademy,NewDelhi on August 19-20, 1995.

• Seminarmi Microbesfor ErwlmnmentalManagement -- Organised by -

AssoclatlonofMicroblologlstsof India(Delhi Unit II) on August 26. 1995,

• RoZeofNonGovemmentalOrganisatlonIn ImplementatlonofUrban SanitatlonProgramme- Organised by - Indien

- - Institute of Public Admlntstratton,New Delhi on August 28. 1995. -

• Seminarmi Microbesfor EnvlmnmentnlManagement.JNU. New Delhi onAugust29, 1995.

• Training Programmeart FormtzlattonandFYnanclng of Urban WqterSupplyProjects - Organised by Indlan

e9

PROF~LEO~DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK

Institute QfPubllcAdmInIstratlQn. -

NewDelhi cm August25 to September •8, 1995.

• NattonalSeminaron ScheduleCastesProblemsand Prospects- In Agra

(U.P.) in September23-24. 1995.• Seminaron ‘flie Engineering Trend-s

In Social 7iie~ory- Organisedby -

Gobind Ballabh Pant SoclalScienceInstitute, Allahabad cm September29 - 30. 1995.

• Acceleratton the processof SoclalDevelopmentIn Bihar - Natlonal •Seminarmi Development of~1har-Organisedby - A.N. Siriha Institute - -

of Social Studies,Patna art November, -

9-12, 1995. - - -

• Natlonal Workshop on CorporateInitlatives In Public HealLh - Focus;SewageDisposalandSafeDrinking - S

Water- Organtsedby - Conferleratlonof Indian Industry, New Delhi onNovember16, l995~,

• SecondCongress- Theme HwnanSettiement- ProblemsandRrospectE- Organlsed by - Indien Building -- f

Congreas,New Delhi on December7-9.1995. - - - -

• An ExtenslonLectureto theSiudentsandStaffof Udaipur SchootofSoclalWork- RajasthanVldyapeeth, Udaipur -

on - Deceuiiber11-12. 1995.• “Women ancLEmpowermenrPaper

read In Meetingorganisedby USAIDon February2, 1996.Key note addressat seminarart “liieProblems and RehablRtatlonof --

Disabled Women” on March 24,1996. -

• Natlonol Rw-alHouslngErposttlon -

Organisedby India ‘ftade PromotionOrganisattonat Pragati Maidan -

on Nov. 15,195.Jan,31. 1996.• 29thAnnuolConventlortsof1WWAat

Calcutta - On 2-5,1996.• Seminaron ErwlronmentalQuallty of

Human Setttements- Organised byCentre for Environmental StudiesSchoolof PlanningandArchitectureof New Delhi - o~Jan 31 to 2ndFeb., 1995.

• Seminarmi F4ucollonforAclilevernentsofSustatnableHurno.nSetttements-Organised by Centre forEnvironmental Studies School ofPlanningand Architecture at New

Delhi - art 4-6 Feb.1996.Workshop on capacity Building forllrbanEr~frç~ritaIMonggerne -

Organised by Human settiementManagementInstitute oLNew Delhiart 17-21 Feb., 1996. -

Mçetlngof theInternationalMlnlsterlalConvergertceForum(IMCfl underthePrime M~nIster’s Integrated urbanpoverty Eradication ProgrammeatNirman Bliawan In New Delhi artFeb. 2lst 1996. --

lVcIttOnal Seminar on Dalit wrftlngs,rrrouernents & Dynwniçs Qf SoctalCliange at Warrangal-on 23-24

_F~brua~1996. -- - --

Workshopon HJV, AIDS at Parlianient- IHouseAnnexe,NewDelhi mi - March

12. 1995. - - S -:

WorkingGrouponEnulronmentHealthEducatlon: IEC to formulatePolicyGü1del1n~Strateg1es~andprogranm-ieobjccttveduringwith plan(constituteby Planningconunission) meetings

-~ 19.a96.a4.96.10.5.96& 30.596..Seminaronffealffijjcitlesfor better --

Ufe: Planning. participatlon and - -

partnershlp- organisedby NationalInstituteofUrbanAffairs, New DcliiiIn coUaborationwlth WHO at I.I.C.on April 4, 1995. - - -

Women’sPolltlcolErnpowenTleritDaycelebratlonsConferenceOrganisedbyThe Institute of Soclal SciencesatN~wDelhi on April 24. 1996.DPA-HUJ)ÇO workshop artDecejrtrqd ~pproach for urban -~

servlcesat Vigyan Bhawanon 25-26July, 1996.

• All India Seminar on “ChallenglngProblerns In Enu(rortmenta[

Management (CPEM 96)”-on 12-14Sept, l9~6.(Organisedby NagpurLocal centre of the Institute ofEngineersat Nagpur)

• SemiharonSoUdwastemanagementDeuetopfrigCountrlesperspectlveNeedfor Developmentof wasteManagementIndustry ln India - Organlsed byNational Council of Development

- camnru n Uon~NewDelhi art Sept- 28.1995.

• AU India Women’sEducatlonalFundAssoclatjon(AIWEFA) Seminaron - - - -

3-5 October,1996.• NatloncilHousingSeminar“Adequate

PROFILE OF DR. BINDESHWAR PAPIAt.

Shelter for All” Organised by -

Ministry of Urban Affairs andEmployment. New Delhi at VigyanBhawanmi 7-WOctob&, 1996.

• CapacityBuildtng on day workshopon clties at Risk International Dayfor Natural Reduction at HaryanaInstitute of Public Admlnistratian,Gurgaonart CWJtbber9, 1996.

• TechnologySunimit96 - 11-12 Oct.1996. TechuiologyPlatform96 - 10-12 Oct. 1996.Jolntly organisedby confederatlonof Indlan Industry and IMTMA atHyderabad.

• )CIXth Annual conference-of Indlan&rlety ofGandhmanStudIesOrgtmisedby Rani Durgawati Untversity at.Jabalpur mi - 16-18 OeL 1996.

• Natîonat Symposium on Youth:&znltatlonandF.nvtmnmentSponsor&tby Department of youth Affairs andsportsMinistry of HuinariResourcesDeveiopment. Govt. of India on -

• MeetingofNatlonalSteerlngConimltteeart Habitat-Il on - Nov. 21,1996.

• Seminaron Sub-StandardHABITA’ISIn Delhi Organisedby PHD Chamberof CommerceandIndustryandGovLof NCT of Delhi art - Dec. 13. 1996.

• Prtme Minister’s Integrated UrbanPovertyEradllcatiort ProgranirneFirstMeeting of the InternationalMinistertal convergenceforum atNlrmanBhawanart -Feb. 21. 1997.

• Consultatlonon NatlonalRejuvenatlonthroughDemocraifr restructurlngatParliamentannexeorganisMby LalBahadur Shastri MemorudFoundationart - March S. 1997.

• Natlonal Conferenceon Strategie&HumanManagemcntA Vlslonfor 2002AshokHotel. New Delhi art - 19-20 -

March. 1997. -

• Symposium - Organtséd byDevetopmentResearch Group at -

ParllamentHouseAnnexe,NëwDelhion World Water Day art - March22, 1997.

• NationalSeminaron LokpalLegislationOrganlsedbyCitizensblpDevelopmentSociety at Indian InternationalCentre. New Delhi art March 30,1997.

ZJNT~RNAflO\NAL_

~~~3$SUÇNDZD BV~~-aa~r ‘~

- Dr. Pathak and experts of SulabhInternationalSocialServiceOrganisationhave visited a numberof countries tostudy theproblemsrelatingto sanitationparilcularly disposal of human excretawlth a view to adopting their innovativetechrmloglesand~yateinè1h rèlWencet~socio-culturaland econöfrllcbackgroundof IndIa~On theirwitationöf the ChineseGovernment, and Natlortul Swedishinstitute for Building Researcha teamof seniorenglneersof Sulabh Internationaland representatives6fAll-India Instituteof Hyglene and Public Health, Calcuttalcd byflit ~ât t1~tS~Cb1nain 1~)B7t» s~n~no1ngy b~rng~p~4~çre~ ~- &~v~j1~in4uly~1989tosiu4y Liie reséar’èhworkbeing carrledô’flt thereon low coat aanittition ôptlons

leachpits mechanicallyand low volumeflushing water closet).

Dr. Pathak visited Karachi(Pakistan) in December, I$90~at theinvltaLlcn of the Foad and AgriculturalOrganisatlonto study viabllity of theOrangi Project e~kîc2WedSself-help.Sponsore-dby UNICEF, Dr. PathakvisitedOelo (Norway) to attendthe Global ForumofCollabontlveCouncil Meetingon WaterSupply and SanitatlonIn September1991andagainat MoroccainSeptehubér1993:1

- - InternationalAssaclaüonkr EnergyEconamics Invited Dr. Pathak topartlcipate in the lGth AnnualInternationalConferenceat Bali duringJuly 1993. On being narntnat~d by -

- Governmentaf India, Dr. Patbak attendedInternationalconference“Pirtnershlpforchange”organlsedby the UK Governmentduring September, 1993. Oülinritaiionfrom Colorado StateUniversity, USA, Dr.Pathakdeilveredthe keynoteaddressandalso read a paper ~t the InternationalConferenceart Village BasedDevelopnientin September. i99&Being Invlted by theVice Presidentof the World Bank, Dr.

91

PROFILE OF DR, B~NDESHWARPATHAK

Pathak attended the. First ~A~uflualInternational Conference - enEnvironmentallysustainableDesrelopmentin September S)ctQber. 1993 atWashington D.C. -

Dr. Pathak has also visited -UK.Japan, Bangkok (Thailand), Indonesia,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,NepalandSpainat the requestof UNICKF; UNDF. WorldBanketc.to attend~sein1nars,conferenc~or to advise Governmentsart low çostsanitatIon~• International Seminar ort lowcost

techlquesforDlsposalofHumanWastein Urban Commwtitles- SponsoredbyThe UNDP GlobalProject on LowCost Water Supply and SanitationUNICEF. India andthe Governmentof India in asstrclatlon wlth TheInstitution of Engipeers-(India) onthe occasionof theDiamondJubileeat Calcutta - February. 1980.

• InternationalSeminaronAdhrx~Sessionon ‘Action Soctology’at theXII WorldCongressof Soclology,Madrid, Spain.July 1990. -

• InternationalDrinking Water Supp[yandSanhtatlonDecade- The GlohalConsultation on Safe Water.~uiç1Sanitatlonfor the 1990s- New Delhi- September10-14. 1990. - -

• GlobalCollaboratieeCouncilMeetingfor Water Supply and Santtatlon,05W.Norway on September 15-20.1991. -- - -- -

• ReglonalConsultatlon0fl HyqleneandSanitatlonPromotion at WHO, NewDelhi on May J9-21, 1993~ -

• Water Supply and SanttattonCollaborrttive CouncLlMeeting(WSS(X~)at Rabat,Morocco-onSeptember7-10, 1993 -

• Global forum art EnutronmnentalDeveloprnentEduco.tion- Organisedby - Indian EnvironmentalSocietyunder the Sponsorahipof UNESCO

September24-28, 1993.• InternationalConferenc~onSusinlriable

Vlilage-BasedDeuelopment- ColoradoState Untversity. USA - Departmentof Clvii Engineering on September26 to October 1, 1993. - -

• SeminarartPartnershlpfor Chai~ge-Manchester- September.20-22, 1993

• Seminar art Sulabh’s Low-Cost~a11ttat1otLWgrJcIn Soutft Asla atCanadaen September22-24. 1993

• Environrnentally Sustalnable

- Denelopment- WashingtonD.C, calledby World Bank on September30 toOctober Lat, L993: - -- - -- -

• - TheÂs&znConferertceon DtalThoeolDtseases. Dhaka - Hosted by -

-~-- BangladeshMedicid Assoctatloncm-----Septernberl7-19.1994. --

• - Report of the Secortd Meeting -

- - - Working Group art Promotion of -

Sanltatiôri -- Water - Supply and- Sabitation CoilaboratjveCounclL. -

Swltzerland on October 3-5, 1994. - - -

• - Work.shopon PegiorialCooperationinthe Management of Soctal and

ffd~zardoüs Works iriDe~velopingCountrtes at Taipei. Taiwan -

- C~vened~byP~c4flc~as[ÔResearchC~htreHarvard Univefsity 0fl - - - -

Januaryl3-14,1995.S Seminar mi NGO Forum ‘95 ~- - -

Copenhagen.Denmark en March 3-12, 1995. -

HUDC0 Ml SSIONto SouthAfrtca -

Ml~1~9J~995~ - - - -

• CollaborativeCöundümeetingof the- - - Working Group onthe Promotionof

Sanitatton- Geneva.Switzerland,en- Api~iI2Wto~Ma~3, 1~95.

• International Sympusiumart Public -

TolIets1995 - Organisedby - Urban- Ci5iinciLËlcing Kong art - Mây 25 - -

—27,1~95. - - --

-. NGOForumart the World SwnmttforSoclal lYevelopment - Helsinki -

i-ifsé~ by - The ixïternationalCiiiiii~Ïf~S~cfâWe1fhi~Mbntr~L

- - Quebec.H2Y 3X7 Canada- SoclaJIntegratlon Experiment And

- E~rIenEes-rifANQn-Q~v~n~çr~tal- Oï~ganisaUonIn India cm July 7-9,

1994. - -

S~Wor1dStwimi~for &iclai Dcaelopment.-- What After ~opènhageri - May 9, -- - -

1995 - -

• W~i1erSupply and Sanitation- CoUaborativeGourtctl - Third Global

- -- Forumlii Barbadosen Ocbé~5O~1-

- to Novenuber3, 1995.~-. Duixii InternationalConferenceartBest

-92

~. PROFILE OF DR. 8~NDESHWAR PATHAK -

Practlcesart November 19-22, 1995.

• International Conferenceat KotaRcijasil~in- Organisedby BharatVfl~asParishad. New Delhi - on 30-31December,1995.

• DLûxti InternationalCi~rfeienceon BestPracttces En Improutrtg LlulngEjwlronments,November19-22.1995organisedby the UNCHS, Habitat-II.

• City Suinmit. Habitat 11 conferenceal Istanbulorganlsedby theUNCHS,June 3-10. 1996. -

• 22nd WEDC conference - Reachlngtheunreachedchodiengesfor the2lstcentury,9-13, September.1996.

• Meetingof GeneralAssembtyof theVN cm HabitatAgenda,October 29-30. 1996. -

• Outllne ofNatlonolcapacityBuiklingStrateglesfor Urban ErwironmentalManagement-Organlscdby HSMI, NewDelhi andInstltute for HousingandUrban Development Studies,Rotterdam on lat January. 1996.

• Meetingal USAID to dlscusstssuesConcerningWomen’sLeadershipandAdvocacy, Literacy Credit andEnterprlseandEnvironmentalHeaithat Qutab Institutlonal Area, NewDelhi on 8 February. 1996.

• International conference onErwironmental Strategtesfor AstanCWes-Organisedby United NaUon~Centrefor Human SettlementswithMadras Metropolitan DevelopmentAuthority and Govt. of Tamil Naduat Madrason 14-17February,1996.

• Third International ConferencecmEnvlronmenta[ Planning and

Management - Organised byVlse’vesvarayaReglorial College oT

-- Englneerlng J’lagpur art 24-26Februrary,1996, -ï - - -

• InternationalConference-onprotnotloriaf EnulronmentallySaundandhealthy

cltles-Orgarilsedby DepartTnent ofGeography. Delhi School ofEconomics.Unlversity of Delhi atNew Delhi - art 12-14March, 1997.

• UnitedNationsConferenceon HumanSettiement,Istanbull,Turkey on 3-14June, 1996. - - - =

• ‘the27thICSWIntemo.tk~na1conferenceon “Role of Non GoveritmentalOrganisatlori.g In Transttiona! 5octettea(1) al arwentlonandF~dilb1tionCentre,HongKong on July 23 - Au.gust 3~11996.

• ConsultatlveStatuswtth the&vnomlcand SoclaICouncil of UnitedNations- art 26-30August, 1996.

• 22nd WEDC Conferenceon Reachingthe UnreachedChollengefor the21St

century Organised by Water.- EngineeringandDevelopmentcentre,

Loughborough Uniyers[ty ofTechnology, Engiand - 1nColiaboratlons with the Institute ofPublic Health Engineers. India.Supported by Sulabh InternationalSoclai Service Organtsation at NewDelhi on 9-13 September, 1~96.

• UnitedNatlon~Conferenceart HumanSettiement(Habitat-Jij at New Yorken 29-30October, 1998.

• InteractiveSeminar witli. FOCUS onIs.~uesthatiwedAttentionOrganisecLby SERCON CE & C on 30-21 TJanuary,1997. -

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