Community led total sanitation in Pakistan

Abstract
Development projects in rural areas have lagged behind their urban equivalents in post-decentralisation Pakistan. What little investment is going into sanitation projects from various line departments and municipal administrations is output oriented. The projects are implemented using traditional approaches with heavy focus on the creation of infrastructure.

The project planners and implementers are interested in counting the numbers, the tangible outputs of any infrastructure project, at the end of the project cycle. None of the projects count "outcomes", that is, the end impact or likely impact on the health of beneficiaries and the environment. Another dilemma for the sanitation sector is that there is little focus on "softer" issues, such as healthy hygiene and behaviour change, either as part of a project or independently. Most infrastructure projects fail because they are not demand driven, through a lack of ownership, and because they do not address the issue of behaviour change. Consequently the project becomes dysfunctional some time after completion.

The new partnership between WaterAid and Integrated Regional Support Programme (IRSP) paved the way for the introduction and scaling up of Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in Takht-e- Bhai in coordination with the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMAs) in Mardan district of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). With its focus on "behaviour change" and "outcomes", the CLTS approach was implemented properly and gained success.

The successful story of CLTS in Takht-e-Bhai is spreading slowly and steadily. One day, it will replace the traditional sanitation system in Pakistan. Currently, only 42% of the population, including 65% in urban areas and 30% in rural settlements, has access to sanitation facilities. With the exception of a few big cities, sewerage is almost non-existent, causing serious health and environmental problems. Some 58% of rural households were without any form of sanitation system in 2005-06, compared to 66% in 2004-05 (PSLM, 2006). Although 42% of the population has access to sanitation, this does not mean that usage is also 42%. A significant proportion prefers to defecate in the open, despite having access to a toilet.

Cite as: Khisro, S.N., Youna, M., Ahmad, M., Tahir, M. and Khan, M. (2008). Community led total sanitation in Pakistan. In: Beyond construction : use by all : a collection of case studies from sanitation and hygiene promotion practitioners in South Asia. London, UK, WaterAid and Delft, The Netherlands, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. Available at: http://www.irc.nl/page/40450

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