Policy Briefs & Reports

Following significant national gains in access to a toilet facility under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G), the Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the programme’s second phase in 2020. SBM-G Phase II places an emphasis on and funds interventions in sanitation beyond the toilet including Faecal Sludge Management (FSM). Nonetheless, FSM – a novelty among rural administrations – is yet to gain traction as a prerequisite to Safely Managed Sanitation in specific socio-spatial contexts. The present Policy Brief employs insights from a novel district-level sanitation survey in Dhenkanal, Odisha, and secondary data to support the District Administration, Dhenkanal, and the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Government of Odisha in evaluating the need for FSM in the district in relation to the recommended alternative strategies. The Policy Brief argues that neither retrofitting single pits to twin pits nor FSM is an exclusively optimal solution in the district owing to its local specificities. It concludes with a roadmap for the Dhenkanal District Administration towards achieving district-wide Safely Managed Sanitation.

The Policy Brief has been prepared under the Dhenkanal Pilot Project for Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) supported by UNICEF.