India
Members of the WASH India Coalition
The WASH India coalition comprises a large number of member organisations and individuals from all over India. Member organisations include WaterAid; TERI; Utthan; PRAVAH; SAATH; GRWHC; Gram Vikas; CEE; UNICEF; Sulabh; AFPRO; CCHR; and many more. The coalition operates in close cooperation with several Civil Society Organisations.
Focus
Because of the country's size and the complexity of addressing WASH issues in India, different WASH members have carried out different activities with diverging focus. However in general, focus areas so far have included:
- Sanitation and Hygiene promotion at community level
- Advocacy and general awareness raising
- Influencing policies and policy development
- Monitoring progress and impact
Milestones and achievements
India has seen a number of WASH initiatives taking place in parallel, run by different organisations. Some highlights of activities include:
- In 2008 the WASH Forum delivered inputs to the new Urban Sanitation Policy of Government of India
- The India WASH Forum was formally registered of as an India Trust, a constitution was drafted and trustees elected
- Co-hosting of the civil society engagement in SACOSAN III Delhi in Nov 2008, including preparing and conducting the pre-meeting, drafting and presenting the Civil Society Declaration as well as organising sessions and exhibition stands in the 4 day conference
- Two publications released in the SACOSAN III conference; on the government programme on sanitation programme and a media compilation of essays on sanitation from Asia
- In 2006 during World Water Day and Sanitation Week, the NGO network PRAVAH in Gujarat organized a range of activities under the WASH banner.
- In cooperation with several sector stakeholders a South-Asia regional workshop on 'Women and Sanitation' was organized in Delhi, on 20-21 March
- From 2003 to 2005, the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) supported the WSSCC WASH campaign, focusing on school sanitation and hygiene education
- The Sulabh WASH campaign was launched in New Delhi with the participation of several government Ministers, the WSSCC and local celebrities aiming to increase community awareness
The achievements of the Indian coalition are internal development and the increasing government attention to sanitation issues. The representation of civil society in conferences like SACOSAN is another strength which increased the public confidence in India WASH Forum, its credibility and professional reputation of the coalition.
India WASH Forum updates
In each newsletter you will find news from the Indian WASH Forum, book reviews, experiences and sharing, media alerts, upcoming events and more.
- May 2010: right to water and sanitation: long road ahead, trivialising food security - what at the minimum should National Food Security Act encompass?, highlights of the hygiene practitioners' workshop 2008, excerpts from the GLAAS report, PPP for Handwashing - soapbox toolkit, and more.
- March 2010: understanding recent poverty estimates in India, highlights from the Hygiene Practitioners Workshop, making water-excreta accounts, and more.
- January 2010: rights-based approach and right to water and sanitation: learning from the past, looking to the future, understanding rights, excerpt: new policy framework for rural water supply, and more.
- November 2009: proceedings from the Global Sanitation Fund launch workshop, water-less urinals for few vs. no toilet for many, a survey of household water and sanitation and more.
- October 2009: right to water and sanitation workshop, pre-SACOSAN IV workshop, Nirmal Gram Puraskar verification, and more.
- September 2009: right to water and sanitation: shared statement of intent, information updates on the sector and beyond, and more.
- August 2009: recommendations towards improving the total sanitation guidelines, 2009 Stockholm water prize laureate Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, and more.
- July 2009: summer of 2009 series, upcoming events, and more.
Links and Resources
For any information or feedback on the Delhi Declaration or its translation in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu please contact FAN South Asia (FANSA) at fansasia[at]gmail.com.
