Indian officials participate in training on sustainable WASH programming

A first group of Indian officials has participated in a two-week training course and exposure visit on sustainable WASH programming  in The Netherlands.

Indian officials visiting Evidens. Photo: Jaap Pels/IRC

The Government of India and UNICEF are sponsoring a capacity building programme for 60 senior WASH staff developed in collaboration with the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre. The programme includes a two-week training course in The Netherlands for senior officials and engineers on sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programming.

"For IRC the design of this course is unique", says coordinator Joep Verhagen. "It is the first time that a national government and not a development donor is sponsoring one of our training programmes".

Three batches of each about 20 national and state government officials are coming to The Hague to learn about the sustainability challenges that rural water and sanitation services are facing. Staff from IRC and external experts will present international experiences on issues such as post-construction support and decentralised governance for water supply and creating demand for sanitation.  The Indian Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation (MDWS) has committed to increase the impact of the training through follow-up workshops and email communication.

The idea for the high-level international capacity building programme arose during a national workshop on training needs of public health engineers organised by MDWS and UNICEF in December 2009. As the rural WASH sector shifts from a supply-driven to a demand-managed approach, the Indian Government does not want to see a repeat of the failed reform processes of the past. Innovative policies require a change in mindset and attitude of state-level implementers, the target group of the international capacity building programme.

The first batch of Indian officials took part in a two-week training course and exposure visit from 25 June - 6 July 2012. After 8 days of training and 2 days for field visits, the participants will use the knowledge they gained to develop action plans that they can implement upon their return to India.

For more information contact: Joep Verhagen, Manager, South Asia & Latin America Team, IRC, verhagen@irc.nl

Tags: capacity development, india, sustainable service delivery