World Toilet Day

“Civilisation is the distance we put between ourselves and our own excreta.” - Brian Aldiss, The Dark Light Years

Indians are strange creatures as when we think of skills we are obsessed with IITs; when we think of health care we can scarcely think beyond doctors. At present, generally, the Indian has cleaning to the household level but is apathetic to the community where he lives. Even governments typically overspend on very high on expensive machines used in healthcare, at the expense of public goods such as community toilets, sewer pipes, low cost sanitary napkins etc. Despite of bad image of World bank among left in India, they will also agree with their suggestion of increased spendings of government on sanitation issue. India has already popular PPP model of community toilets and washroom in Sulabh Shauchalya.

November 19th is celebrated as the World Toilet Day to raise awareness on the use of toilet, sanitation and clean water. I was invited to a primary school with Block Development Officer (BDO) on this day a year before. I learn a lot on five ways for washing hands; waterborne disease & clean water for safe drinking. Ganjam district is ill-famous for open defecation in the whole Odisha. This was directed towards giving children information on area of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Knowledge alone though is not enough; it has to be complemented by actions to implement the most basic rules for prevention. Using evidence to guide massive social investment is crucial to ensuring the efficient use of limited resources. As per research of  JPAL in Kenya , there is little evidence on whether existing water quality, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions lead to lasting improvements in children’s health, growth and development and whether nutrition programs are more effective when combined with WASH interventions.

Government machinery has funds under Individual Household Latrine(ihhl) for construction of toilets at household level. It requires 10% fund by the household while 90% are given by government in three phases. And, sanitation is seen only as seen as construction of new toilets without thinking about water facilities and waste management. Power builds consensus like nothing else. There is no democratic discussion in government meetings. Even infeasible orders are taken without looking either on the quality of construction work or utility to end user to achieve targets. Unless government at municipal doesn't think on the line of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, there will be huge waste dumped without proper process.

There is quite little thinking on policy level on solid and liquid waste management, awareness regarding toilet usage, water storage, hand washing practices and acceptability of the total idea of sanitation. India really need a large social campaign to make people aware, working with them and explaining things of private hygiene to them. The reason is that sanitation is primarily a behavioural issue, to be undertaken by community and household for their own good. The role of government is only to facilitate this positive change by providing incentives and solution oriented approach in assisting people.  Government is trying to work with children in schools and mothers through health clinics to educate them about hygiene behaviour. Such education initiative can help change behaviour and hygiene practices, it is a super slow process. The sanitation problem is so drastic and urgent that policies need to be set in place to drive behavioural change. There is need to have social norms regarding sanitation. Government need to listen the wise words of Samuel Johnson: "People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”

Disaster Management

Disaster Management in Phailin was remarkable in its aspect of losing minimum lives when faced with challenge of massive proportion. India evacuated more than half a million people as massive Cyclone Phailin hit eastern ghats at Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. An early warning and timely actions saved countless lives. Earlier entire nation prays for the well-being of the people of disaster struck zone. Yet never care to plan. Things started changing with 1999 Odisha cyclone. And even world bank blog has put an article on the preparation by Odisha government.

In the case of flood/tsunami/cyclone, torrential rains always play havoc and diseases are rampant due to decaying carcass. The relief center must be equipped with grains, deworming pills, Trampoline sheet, dhoti/lungi with saree, mosquito net, blanket, towel & utensil kitchen as an immediate requirements for the household affected with cyclone. My prior experience on preparation for disaster management was itself a big lesson.

I was posted in Ganjam district with Panchyati Raj Department after one month of cyclone Phailin. I observed that mangroves have lowered the full impact of cyclone in the coastal region. Even 50 km from the coast, the brick mortar schools were partially destroyed by the storms.  On enquiring about the relief work at block level,  I was given brief on the help provided by administration post disaster. There were 33,283 households in Bhanjanagar. They were provided with kerosene oil, jaggery and flattened rice (chuda) of two months supply. 50 kg of grains and Rs 500 were given to each household. Plastic cover roof was in demand more than anything. Ganjam was worst hit by the Phailin and the accounts were horrifying.

There is lack of access to basic resources to sustain livelihood for the community. There must be careful planning with Donor funds coming for rehabilitation. Poor countries have become fighting arena of NGOs on international aid after each disaster. And all the international aid and investment is mostly consumed by INGOs, private companies involved in the relief effort. Even missionary organization pops up for saving the soul of unbelievers post disaster with charity. When disaster strikes, who profits? This is the key question for policy level to eliminate corruption and inefficiencies. No other country in the world has more non-governmental organizations (NGOs) per capita as Haiti. Yet we all know about real face of international relief after 2010 earthquakes. (Source 1 and Source 2).

Visit for Social Audit of NREGS - 2

What is a social audit? It is better to have an idea of the concept in the first place.  Social_Audit_Report is uploaded to the NREGS website. But almost all of the community seems to be completely unaware of the documentation part. The best part of these meetings is the opportunity to meet office bearers and government officials on the same day.

When the government makes the schedule for a social audit in October, it reviews work done/in progress from April to September months. SA was originally scheduled in October but due to a cyclone, it was completed in December. Advertisements were given in three Oriya newspapers giving dates and locations of the social audit meeting. Local NGO was invited to attend the meetings yet no provision of funds was available for community mobilization through local NGOs. This was all done when Gram Rozgar Sevak (GRS) [working personnel for NREGS at Village level] were gone on strike. Their online petition is worth a read on the problem faced at the implementation level.

Verification of Documents, Grievance Submitted, and Issues was tackled in the meeting with sincerity. Whatever issues were raised and action was taken on them.  The normal complaint was the wrong account number given by beneficiaries of bank accounts. One person complained about having no job card. He later told that he was a migrant and belong to well to do family. Since this card is one more government paperwork done free, he was eager to get in hope of anticipated benefits. Ensuring faster wage payment to beneficiaries under MGNREGS is the process lacuna. Payment within 15 days deadline is sometimes stretched to full month that came in limelight.

According to the guidelines of MGNREGA, a Gram Sabha has held the prime institution of planning and execution of MGNREGA. So much in writing but activities of Vigilance and Monitoring Committees (VMCs) at the Panchayat level are in hibernation all over Odisha. NREGS work for purposes like common grazing and livelihood is not taken much into thought. NREGS website is great. But even the BPL (as per the 1997 census in Odisha) doesn't seem rightly fed in that. I have highlighted with a red circle in the picture above and brought it to the notice of the concerned authority.

There is no convergence that household has taken benefit from which scheme like IAY/RSBY of the government.  Even demand generation suffers due to a lack of initiative of community. As per government officials, not much work can be generated if a lot has been already done in previous years. There is a limit of demand that can be achieved under the guidelines of NREGS. The demand scheme has been converted into a target scheme by the officers under pressure from the government to show numbers.  That was the most important lesson that came out in this exercise.

Social Audit has merely been reduced as an exercise for checking numbers, as rarely people complained about the quality of work and let accountable pay for corruption. Even mighty monitoring tools like social audits can become grievance redress mechanisms only in the hands of the dull community. The social audit may have helped in awareness generation but a lot of work needs to be done for community engagement.

One Month at Bhanjanagar, Ganjam

I reported at DRDA office, Ganjam district on 18th November 2013. I was relived from previous duty for PHAILIN rehabilitation work. Emergency relief work had already been finished in most of the block. Hence, rehabilitation work is not included in my role at Ganjam District. I was assigned to work at Bhanjanagar block exclusive for Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM).  Bhanjanagar block is a non intensive block as per OLM guidelines. A new proposal to change this into intensive block has been sent to the central government. That means a lot of action under coming months but not now. Revolving fund to SHGs, e-NRLM (MIS)and SHG Bank Credit Linkage are the focus area  in job profile.

OLM  , Panchayat Samiti Office, Bhanjanagar

Work Station

Every person worth its salt always knows how to correct itself, and eventually does. I feel vulnerable against myself. The trait of punctuality is leaving me even with the minor load of the government job. Hoping to maintain this habit of punctuality. I am ignorant about development issues to a large extent. I am focusing hard to be updated on each aspect of community and governance development. It a general truth that "No work, No Pay". Currently, assigned work is minimum at this moment. Let's have a thought, I feel like overpaid government officer !

Motivation for the Day: “If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.” ― Charles Bukowski, Factotum