Monday, April 1, 2013

Empowering Panchayats through addressing Water & Sanitation


Empowering Panchayats through addressing Water & Sanitation

73rd constitutional amendment is a milestone in the history of Indian local self governance. In the XIth schedules 29 works have been assigned to PRIs. Activities like effectiveness in the delivery system of Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation touches the life of each and every person residing in the Panchayat, improves the village life and also attest the significance of PRI.
Sanitation is a public good. Although it is an individual practice, the use or lack of use of a sanitation facility by anyone has its impact on the health of all others in the vicinity. Open defecation, which is one of the biggest sanitation challenges in the state, results in contamination of water bodies, pollution of the environment and transmission of disease causing vectors through various media like water, food.
Gram Panchayats are mandated with maintaining the sanitation status in the GP. They have the responsibility to ensure that the environment around the GP is free from contamination, and people live a health life.  Being a public good and with responsibility for change and maintenance with the GP, gives an opportunity for the strengthening of the GP’s capacity to appreciate its importance as an important component to change people’s well being, plan for intervention, implement them, initiate a community level visual monitoring system, and ensure sustainability of the changes brought about.
At one hand there is provision of standing committees to facilitate and monitor these activities and on the other hand these activities are backed by flagship program where role of PRI is well defined. So effectiveness of PRIs in these programs will not only strengthen the institution, but it will also pave the path for more and more devolutions. These interventions will go long way in activating the standing committees of GP. 

Status of Water & Sanitation National and State (Jharkhand)
The rural water sector in India is characterised by high levels of coverage in terms of public investment in sources and systems Drinking water supply[1] is also one of the six components of Government of India’s Bharat Nirman programme, which has been conceived as a plan to be implemented in four years from 2005-06 to 2008-09 for building rural infrastructure. During this period, 55,067 uncovered habitations were to be covered and 2.17 lakh quality-affected habitations were to be addressed. Tackling arsenic and fluoride contamination was given priority. Impressive achievements have been made in the first two years. In 2006-07, against the target to cover 73,120 habitations, 1,07,350 habitations were covered. As on 1.4.2007, there were 29,534 uncovered habitations, 1,74,782 ‘slipped-back’ habitations and 1,59,348 ‘quality-affected’ habitations. The status of uncovered habitations under Bharat Nirman indicates the need for accelerated implementation. Large incidence of slippage from “fully covered” to “partially/not covered” categories is due to a number of factors such as sources going dry; lowering of the ground water table; systems outliving their lifespan; and increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability..  Water quality affected habitations refers to areas facing problems with arsenic, fluorides, iron, nitrates and salinity, however bacteriological contamination associated with poor sanitation is also widespread and an estimated 1,000 children die per day from diarrhea in India.
In Jharkhand entire population does not have access to safe drinking water & sanitation. Rural sanitation coverage is very low. About 30% of habitations have partial facility with drinking water. All habitations do not have safe drinking water as source contains Fluoride, Arsenic & Iron.
The programmes such as Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP), Swajaldhara and Total Sanitation Campaign were launched in serving the rural population with water and sanitation related services all across the State.

Achievement
  • Reorganization of Ranchi Urban Water Supply scheme was completed and commissioned
  • Improvement of Dhanbad Water Supply scheme completed and commissioned
  • Water Supply to Medininagar Urban Area started Phase-1 started
  • 4400 nos. of NC and 2799 nos. of PC covered
  • 270 Nos. of Fluoride/Arsenic Removal Attachments installed in water quality problem areas.
  • 108 Rural Pipe Water Supply schemes constructed/upgraded.
The baseline survey report of Ministry of Drinking water & Sanitation presents shabbier picture of the state.

Baseline Survey 2012 - State Abstract Report
SL.No.
Category
Percentage
1
% of Household not having Toilet
94.59
2
% of Household having Toilet
5.41
3
% of Household having functional Toilet from HH having Toilet
49.67
4
% of Household having defunctional Toilet from HH having Toilet
50.33
5
% of Anganwadi having Latrine
100
6
% of Anganwadi having adequte Water Facility
0.00
7
% of GPs where VWSC formed
33.33
8
% of GPs where VWSC Functional
33.33
9
% of GPs where Swachchhata Doot is Posted
33.33
10
% of Govt School Without Toilet
0.00
11
% of Govt School Without Water Facility
0.00
12
% of Private School Without Toilet
0.00
13
% of Private School Without water Facility
0.00
14
% of GPs Where other Organisation Involved
33.33
Sanitation has causal linkages with many other developmental indicators – e.g. with water (good quality water depends on improved sanitation), nutrition (better absorption of food depends upon improved sanitation) health (majority of rural diseases, especially those affecting children, are caused by poor sanitation), education (school dropouts due to poor sanitary facilities), poverty (loss of productive labour and wages due to ill health caused by poor sanitation), and so on. In such a situation, there is an urgent need to improve the sanitation status of the state, particularly the six pilot districts.
Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan
The NBA is an ambitious sanitation program of the Government of India that aims to revamp TSC to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2022. The NBA foresees an integrated approach to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). With the initiation of the NBA, the role of the district-level sanitation coordinator, who was an integral part of TSC, has undergone a substantial change. Now known as Swachchhata Preraks, these coordinators are the catalysts of the program at the district level, charged with facilitating GPs in achieving Nirmal Gram Panchayat (100 percent ODF) status, using systems of garbage disposed and drainage to create a clean environment in GPs





Water and Sanitation Activity Mapping

The work of Department of Drinking Water and sanitation could be divided into 5 broad functions,
·         Rural water supply (hand pump),
·         Rural piped water supply,
·         Supervising and monitoring of rural piped water supply,
·         Rural sanitation, and
·         Service of employees.
Regarding hand pumps for rural water supply, the GPs will select the location for new hand pumps and execute normal as well as special repair of hand pumps. However, hand pumps will be set up as per the directives of the Water and Sanitation Department. Furthermore, the Department will provide required amounts for the set-up and repair of hand pumps. In the case of unnecessary delay in releasing funds, the GP may recommend actions against defaulting officials. The PSs are responsible for supervising and monitoring the set up and repair of the hand pumps by GPs, and the ZPs will select the GPs for set up of hand pumps in primary and middle schools. These assignments do not appear to be appropriate. It is not at all clear why GPs cannot use own funds, from whatever source, to install and repair hand pumps. Furthermore, it is not clear why ZPs should select the GPs for the set up of hand pumps in primary and middle schools. It would seem that GPs are sufficiently informed and incentivised by personal concern to determine the location of hand pumps in the GP and primary and middle schools. It is not clear why PSs should supervise and monitor the work of the GPs. The fact that the activity mapping allows the GPs to recommend actions against officials for unnecessary delays in the release of funds suggests that there are serious problems with the efficiency of the Public Health Engineering Department. Perhaps this money should be given directly to the GPs and the role of the Public Health Engineering Department should be diminished. GPs could easily contract with the private sector to install hand pumps. This would create additional opportunities for commercial activity in rural areas of the State of Bihar.

The ZPs are given exclusive responsibility to select projects for rural piped water supply. Although it is probably not relevant, it would seem that a GP could elect to use its own resources to provide rural piped water to its residents. It is not at all clear that assigning this function to ZPs is appropriate or desirable. The service area for piped water supply is likely to be the GP rather than an entire ZP, and a GP is probably best placed to know whether piped water supply or the installation of hand pump is most appropriate.
All three tiers of local self government are given responsibility for monitoring of rural piped water schemes. It is not clear that they have any authority in the case that the work is unsatisfactory, and the overlapping responsibility seems unnecessary and undesirable.
Regarding rural sanitation, the ZP is responsible for controlling, monitoring, and guiding the District Water and Sanitation Mission, registered as ‘Prakalp’ in the 11 districts selected under the Total Sanitation Campaign. GPs are responsible for selecting BPL families to construct low cost toilets at their houses. The activity mapping appears to give most of the genuine authority and responsibility to the Convenience Committee. In fact, the activity mapping appears to tie the hands of the GPs. GPs should be encouraged to take initiatives in financing and making arrangements to expand access to water supply and sanitation (toilets).
The ZPs, PSs, and GPs are responsible for authorising the casual leave of district employees. This seems appropriate, but it is not clear whether this means all officials, including the BDO, DM, and SP.




Suggestive Activity Mapping
Subject
Zila Parishad (ZP)
Panchayat Samiti (PS)
Gram Panchayat (GP)




Rural water supply (hand pump)
ZP will select the GPs for set up of handpumps in primary and middle schools.
PS will supervise and monitor the set up and repair work of the handpumps by GPs.
GP will execute normal as well as special repair of handpumps.



GPs will select the location for new handpumps.




Under the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme, GPs will select the location and execute the replacement of non-working handpumps.




Engineers of Dept. of DWAS at different levels including Executive Engineer shall assist the GP for all the set up/ repair work of handpumps under all programmes. Executive Engineer will draw the required amount in advance and provide to the GPs.




All on-going projects under all the programmes shall be executed by Public Health Engineering Dept.




Handpumps will be set up as per the directives of the Department.





GPs will accord priority to the SC, ST, and UBC hamlets facing scarcity of drinking water.




The Department will provide the required amount for set up and repair of handpumps. In case of unnecessary delay in release of funds, the GP may recommend to take action against defaulting officials.




In case of non-cooperation of employees and engineers, the GP may also recommend punitive action against them.

Rural piped water supply
In case of resources insufficient to complete all the ongoing projects, priority of the projects will be decided with the consent of the ZP.



New projects will be selected at ZP level.


Supervision and monitoring of rural piped water supply
A ZP will monitor the rural piped water supply schemes of its jurisdiction through departmental employees.
A PS will monitor the rural piped water supply schemes of its jurisdiction through departmental employees.
A GP will monitor the rural piped water supply schemes of its jurisdiction through departmental employees.
Rural sanitation
ZP will control, monitor and guide the District Water and Sanitation Mission, registered as 'Prakalp' in the 11 districts selected under Total Sanitation Campaign as well as other districts.

A GP will Select BPL families to construct low cost toilets at their houses.



Prakalp will facilitate village level Drinking Water and Sanitation Committee and the project will be executed through the Convenience Committee of the related GP.



Even in non “Prakalp” districts, it will be executed through the Convenience Committee.
Service of employees
Executive Engineer will attend ZP meetings. DDC cum EO of a ZP will sanction his/her casual leave after recommendation of the Chairperson of the ZP.
Assistant engineer and junior engineer will participate in PS meetings.



Employees under these projects will work under PS and their casual leave will be granted by BDO cum EO after recommendation from Head of the PS.