The clean plan: analysing sanitation planning in India using the CWIS planning framework

Abstract

Sanitation in India has received national attention for over a decade, especially with the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) making it a political priority. However, due to the lack of appropriate sanitation planning practices, there have been little long-term gains made in urban sanitation beyond the ending of open defaecation. In this paper, we analyse the key barriers to sanitation planning, in India, in the context of the emerging paradigm of Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS). A mixed method approach of shit flow diagrams, social network analysis, policy analysis, interviews and workshops at the national, state (2) and city (4) levels was conducted. Eight factors were identified as important barriers for planning including inadequate planning capacities, lack of ownership of city sanitation plans among city governments, poor community involvement, absence of a uniform planning framework, unreliable political and financial support, overlapping jurisdictions, and scheme-based funding. The paper also proposes the CWIS Planning Framework which offers a perspective at overcoming these barriers with the recommendation of bridging top-down and bottom-up planning approaches. While there is increasingly more clarity on what CWIS means, there is little understanding on how to plan for it. Therefore, this framework provides the theoretical basis for planning with the CWIS approach.

Development and validation of instrument to measure citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS Scale) for Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

“…Involving the community in the planning, construction, decisionmaking, and sustainability management of sanitation facilities is pivotal to their success and long-term viability. As highlighted by [22], active communities and stakeholders during the planning process emerge as key success factors for the sustainability of sanitation systems. Such a high community involvement leads to increased ownership within the community.…”

Situational assessment for fecal sludge management in major cities of Pakistan

“…In India and Bangladesh, the holistic approach of offsite and onsite is taken side by side (Narayan et al 2021a ). Citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) targets safe sanitation provision for everyone either connected by a centralized/decentralized sewerage system or utilizing OSS (Narayan et al 2021b ). The current policies in Pakistan are completely ignoring this component.…”

Effectiveness of the Swachh Bharat Mission and barriers to ending open defecation in India: a systematic review

“…Exum et al (2020) found that, from 2016 to 2018, main OD practices in rural Rajasthan households decreased from 63.3% to 45.8%, and in urban households from 12.6% to 9.4%. Narayan et al (2021) conducted key informant interviews to identify barriers to latrine use, and found that unreliable financial support, inadequate planning capacities, and poor community involvement were major factors contributing to continued open defecation. Das and Crowley (2018) also found affordability to be a key hurdle to sanitation program success, though 70% of participants expressed willingness to pay Rs.25-100 ($0.30-1.20 USD) monthly for connection to a networked sewer system.…”