1. Developing a Women-Led Replicable Model on
WASH: Experience from Odisha
Manas Kumar Biswal
State Programme Officer
Regional Centre for Development Cooperation
National Conference on Women-led Water Management:
Strategies towards water sustainability in rural India
November 5-6, 2012, Gurgaon, India

2. Odisha: Statistics vs. Reality
About 38.54 percent of
households in rural
Odisha have to travel
more than 500 meters to
get water
85.9 percent population
• 300913 tube wells living in rural areas do
• 10419 sanitary wells not have latrine
• 7462 piped water supply -Latest census report of Housing
projects and Household Amenities
(up to 1st March 2012)
One spot source for 112 persons And what this indicates ???

3. Project: ‘Developing Replicable Model on Drinking Water and
Sanitation and Advocacy for Wider Replication’
Area: 30 Panchayats
No. of beneficiaries: 167339 (Men- 86205, Women- 81134)
Programme strategy Advocacy at
different levels
Peripheral Panchayats
RCDC Block District State
level level level
PNGO Model Gram Network Network Network
Panchayat

4. Situational analysis
Drudgery
of
Women

5. Awareness building and triggering behavioural change
Tools..
• Rallies, post card campaigns,
street plays, water testing
campaigns, village meetings
• Using School Water Education
Programme as a gateway
• Innovations through Idea
Marts
• Linkages with IEC campaigns
by Government
Targeting women participation
through..
• Involving women SHGs
• Identifying and motivating
women change-makers

6. Institution building
Panchayat- Jalabandhu
(Comprising 2 members from Capacity building
each VWSC, Sarpanch, HEW,
SEM) • Orientation of VWSC- Issues
relating to WASH, roles and
responsibilities, institutional
processes, skill development
VWSC
(Comprising 2 members from • Orientation for ASHA and
each user group, Ward Anganwadi- instrumental to
Member, Sarpanch, ASHA, hygiene education to women at
Anganwadi, SEM)
community level
(Why? Health of family depends
upon her hygiene practices)
User Group
(Representation from each • Training to SEMs including women
household using a particular SEMs on water quality testing
source- at least 50% women)

7. Participatory planning and follow up
• Micro planning with
PRA tools
• Monthly GP level
review meetings
• Democratic system for
facilitating women
participation-
management of user’s
fund, complaint boxes
• Linkages with Govt.
schemes through
Jalabandhu

8. Developing the women led replicable model
Women led replicable
model on WASH
Women influencing the
decision making process
and power scenario
Women participation in
management of WASH
Leadership and
ownership
development
among women

9. Qualitative outcomes
• Visible participation of women in awareness
campaigns, idea marts
• Involvement of women SHGs
• Memorandum submission/RTI
• Village cleaning activities
• Oath taking
• Managing user’s fund
• Participation in GP level monthly review meetings
and network meetings (Pressure group)
• Making decisions on linkages with other schemes-
diverting GKS funds

10. Qualitative outcomes
Women participating in awareness campaigns
Village cleaning by women Oath taking by women