Problems and Issues in Urban Environmental Management: Experiences of Ten Best Practices

Singh, BN; Maitra, Snipra and Sharma, Rajiv (1996)
New Delhi, India, Human Settlement Management Institute

This document is based on a collaborative research project between HSMI, New Delhi, and HIS, Rotterdam, which seeks to develop national capacity building strategies to improve urban environmental management in India with a special emphasis on capacity building at the local level. The document synthesizes environmental problems and issues emerging out of studies on ten best practices in urban environmental management in India and provides a stock of knowledge on the subject to be used as a comparative experience exchange with similar projects in Peru, Bolivia and Senegal.

In dealing with the gender aspects of urban environmental management, the document points out that since gender equality in matters of economic, social and political significance is a fundamental right guaranteed by India's 1991 Constitution to its 450 million women, not less than one-third of the total seats in local bodies are now reserved for women. This creates a platform in local bodies to take up gender issues and allows women, as a part of the power hierarchy of elected local government, to play their rightful part in the development process. Although it is too early to assess the impact of this initiative, it is conjectured that the participation of women in local government will make a difference as government at this level deals mostly with quality of life issues which are of particular concern to women. Women in any community provide a crucial link for integrated development. One project in Jajmau, Kanpur, provided an enhanced role for women in areas usually not open to women such as jobs as plumbers, fitters or masons in a water supply and sanitation programme. Skills training programmes for women in these areas allowed women to function independently and to form cooperatives. These women have also acted as motivators, promoting the community's adoption and proper usage of sanitary latrines and have constructed a community centre and a nursery.

Although in delivery oriented programmes women's representation is fairly large, in advocacy oriented programmes, not specifically focusing on women, their active involvement is not significantly observed. However, in the Clean Ganga Campaign in Varanasi which was dominated by men, school girls, aware of environmental issues, became involved in the campaign to educate people on urban waste management issues, pollution in Ganga and its impact on the city environment. In the Save Shahpura Lake Campaign in Bhopal, a female teacher showed leadership in mobilizing children in the area to clean up the surroundings of the lake. Women have also played a part in the advocacy process supporting the protection of wetlands through NGOs like PUBLIC in Calcutta. Women's associations have improved the cost recovery process of the public authorities by opening centres for the collection of charges. Although women are playing an active role in development in some regions of India, in East Calcutta, women are on the bottom rung of the development ladder. With poor literacy, a poor labour-force participation rate, poorly paid jobs, poor nutrition, and poor family planning, they do not participate in any organizational effort. Despite this, younger women (26-36) are actively taking an interest in community-based organizations.

NGOs carrying out the developmental programmes of the government try to associate schemes with needs specific to women, eg. the location of toilets. However, findings related to gender issues show a lack of awareness and motivation among women, particularly in slum areas, as to how the effective use of household toilets can improve their family's health and quality of life. Therefore women's participation in low-cost sanitation schemes is seen as vital. In Slum Networking, many of the community development interventions are focused on women and girls to stem the carry-over of disadvantages from one generation to another. There is a clear correlation between female literacy rate and other indicators such as infant mortality rate, birth rate, and educational levels of children and therefore female literacy and vocational training are important. To empower women to control their destinies, there are special programmes for the legal education of women, and for income generation. Women are often highly motivated to initiate development, to reach consensus in the community, and to be responsible for managing money and making repayments. Through their persistence, women bring projects to fruition and trigger social change with long term repercussions.