Objectives

The general objectives of this research are to:

• Measure the cost-effectiveness of technically, socio-economically and environmentally innovative and replicable approaches to excreta and solid waste management in low income peri-urban settlements in a part of Asia that has lagged behind in sanitation
• Measurably improve sanitation conditions and practices in six pilot areas
• Scale up the tested approaches through integration of lessons learned in sanitation policies and implementation programmes of Local and State Governments
• Strengthen interdisciplinary co-operation and implementation skills of the participating research and civic society institutions through knowledge exchange, cross-regional training and joint documentation of studies, interventions and results.

The research objective is:

• To ascertain whether the use of a new, more up-to-date approach to environmental sanitation, has enabled three peri-urban settlements in coastal municipals in the three selected countries to better improve their situation in terms of environmental sanitation and waste management as a key condition to improved health and socio-economic development.

The specific scientific and technical objective is:

• To develop and test, through a comparative action research, a more gender sensitive and demand creating replicable strategy for environmental sanitation in low income peri-urban coastal settlements in Kara (India), Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

The institutional objectives are:

• To share the knowledge of the results with policy makers and programme implementers of other coastal municipalities and sector ministries for further development and replication of the approach
• To enhance knowledge and skills of partner institutes in measuring and monitoring situation and behavioural change on soil and water pollution by human excreta through the reduction in disease transmission risks from poor sanitation.