Innovative solutions to sanitation problems in urban slums. Pune, India
The SHWAAS project is an initiative by CHF India, a non-profit organization active for over 11 years, dedicated to improving sanitation conditions in poor urban communities in India. Specifically, the project was launched in May 2012 in Pune, one of the major cities in Maharashtra, with the aim of addressing the severe problems related to access to sanitation services in urban slums. SHWAAS was funded with 1 million euros by the European Commission and partnered with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the government body responsible for managing public services in the city.
Context and motivations behind the project
In India, both urban and rural poor communities face enormous difficulties in accessing basic sanitation services. This issue is particularly acute in slums, informal settlements characterized by a chronic lack of infrastructure. Even where public sanitation facilities exist, they are often inadequately maintained, contributing to poor sanitary conditions with serious repercussions on public health.
SHWAAS was created with the aim of improving access to sanitation services in the urban poor communities of Pune and empowering residents to take charge of the management and maintenance of sanitation facilities. CHF India worked closely with the PMC, which was responsible for constructing community toilet blocks, while CHF focused on community mobilization and capacity building.
Project goals and strategies
The SHWAAS project had three main objectives: building and renovating sanitation facilities, mobilizing the local community, and enhancing the capacities of both residents and local authorities.
1. Construction and renovation: The goal was to improve sanitation infrastructure in 100 slums in Pune. The PMC was responsible for constructing the facilities, while CHF led the community engagement process. However, construction proved particularly problematic due to bureaucratic delays and management issues. Residents and social workers could report faults or maintenance requests, but solutions were often slow to come. By the end of the project, only 25% of the funds earmarked for the construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities had been utilized.
2. Community mobilization: Another key aspect of the project was active community involvement. CHF believed that long-term sustainability of sanitation interventions could only be guaranteed if slum residents actively participated in the creation and management of the facilities. For this reason, CHF social workers worked to create “Shwaas Samities,” health committees composed of 6-10 members. However, at first, residents were reluctant to participate, given PMC’s reputation for initiating projects that were not fully completed. Through ongoing dialogue with slum leaders, CHF managed to reduce this reluctance and promote community participation.
3. Capacity building: CHF organized workshops for PMC officials and Shwaas Samity members to raise awareness of the sanitation issues faced by slum residents daily. The idea was that a better understanding of local needs by public authorities could facilitate the resolution of sanitation issues and improve the management of the facilities.
Project outcomes and challenges
While SHWAAS led to some improvements, the project faced significant obstacles, particularly due to PMC’s bureaucratic inefficiencies and the local government’s limited capacity to respond quickly to residents’ needs. By the end of the project, about half of the Shwaas Samities were able to continue the activities independently, but long-term success will largely depend on PMC’s commitment to maintaining and managing the sanitation facilities.
Community involvement was one of the project’s most positive aspects. CHF worked with local leaders and social workers to raise awareness among residents about the impacts of poor hygiene and to promote a sense of collective responsibility in managing infrastructure. However, the community-based approach, which required strong collaboration between residents and public authorities, was not successfully implemented in all areas involved. In many cases, residents continued to rely on local authorities to resolve sanitation issues, and their requests often went unaddressed.
Governance and participation elements
The project followed a multi-stakeholder approach, involving three of the five actors in the quintuple helix: citizens, NGOs, and public authorities. CHF India collaborated with other local NGOs, such as SWaCH, which specializes in waste management, to support the health committees in the slums. Slum residents were involved from the start of the project, participating in numerous meetings with public authorities to discuss the sanitation problems in their communities. The PMC, though formally involved, often encountered bureaucratic difficulties that slowed down its effectiveness.
Social and economic pooling
Another key principle of the project was “social and economic pooling,” which encouraged collective responsibility in managing sanitation services. Although SHWAAS aimed to transfer infrastructure management to residents, in practice, this transition did not fully occur, as the local government remained the primary provider of sanitation services. Nevertheless, CHF and local NGOs succeeded in promoting greater awareness of sanitation issues within communities, fostering active resident involvement.
Conclusions and future prospects
The SHWAAS project represented an important step towards improving access to sanitation services in Pune’s slums. Community involvement, collaboration with local NGOs, and funding from the European Commission made it possible to implement tangible interventions in nearly 100 communities. However, the project revealed its limitations, primarily related to local bureaucracy and the lack of innovations. The future of the progress made will depend on the local government’s ability to continue supporting the initiatives started and ensuring the effective management of sanitation infrastructure.