State Consultation on Putting Citizens at the Centre: Sustaining Improved Urban Sanitation Services in Rajasthan

On January 3, 2020, the Society for Participatory Research In Asia (PRIA) organised a day-long State Consultation on “Putting Citizens at the Centre: Sustaining Improved Urban Sanitation Services in Bihar” at Hotel Grand Xenia, Ajmer, Rajasthan.

The state consultation was a part of the Engaged Citizens, Responsive Cities (ECRC) project, developed in 2016. It is a four-year-long intervention supported by the European Union which focuses on strengthening civil society of the urban poor to participate in planning and monitoring of sanitation services. This project was implemented in the cities of Ajmer, Jhansi, and Muzaffarpur. It primarily aims to strengthen civil society of the urban poor through capacity building activities to enable them to become active citizens and use the new skills learnt to participate in the planning and monitoring of sanitation services. This involved the formation of Settlement Improvement Committees (SICs), which comprise of community leaders from local women and youth groups, as well as the Citizen Forum. The latter consists of diverse members from academic institutions, Resident Welfare Societies (RWAs), civil society forums, and media organisations. PRIA has been instrumental in the formation of these groups and has helped facilitate their work to foster community organisation concerning the issue of sanitation. 

The consultation aimed to explore solutions for prevailing issues in urban sanitation sector of Rajasthan through innovative means centred on citizen engagement and multi-stakeholder partnerships. The existing issues concerning Sanitation in Ajmer were discussed, and instances of positive change were shared. Good examples and ongoing initiatives from other cities were presented, and participants enquired about different models that can be adapted to improve the urban sanitation level in Ajmer. Further, the discussion focused on how behaviour change can be brought about concerning sanitation and how improving sanitation has to be an effort beyond just having the right infrastructure, through that is a pertinent issue. Mr. Dharmendra Gahlot, Hon’ble Mayor, Ajmer Municipal Corporation, said, “Until citizens take ownership of their communities, we will not be able to improve sanitation. The need for change and improved urban sanitation must come from within to make the improved sanitation sustainable.”

Increased awareness leading to citizen participation was seen as essential to bring about sustained improved sanitation, and SICs and Citizen Forums are of paramount importance in this. Representatives from the SIC forum and the Citizen Forums shared about the changes they have seen in their cities since PRIA’s intervention and the active role these forums have taken in engaging with community members and the municipality to improve sanitation services in the city. The ways in which behaviour change regarding sanitation was brought about, such as through awareness rallies, and door to door awareness campaigns was discussed. Ms. Kusum Prajapat, President, Citizen Forum, Ajmer, shared, “We started a campaign on segregating wet and dry waste. We went door to door explaining this and taught them about composting. We also made efforts to clean the water bodies, and to discourage vendors from giving out plastic bags.” Participants were interested in the various initiatives by other organisations such as UNDP and raised questions on how these can be implemented in their cities. Ms. Akhila Sivadas, Executive Director, CFAR, also brought to the discussion the importance of looking at sanitation through an intersectional lens. She commented, “We need to consider social barriers. It is crucial to understand how sanitation affects “invisible communities” such as disabled people, transgender people, etc. We need to amplify their voices.”

The consultation also focussed on capacity building for members of informal settlements and the importance of equipping the community with the resources that they need to be able to participate in improving urban sanitation and addressing the challenges that come along the way. Through the Citizen Forums, the communities were made aware of the various sanitation issues faced in informal settlements such as lack of infrastructure and awareness. This will contribute to changing the perception that informal settlements are generally responsible for unsanitary conditions in cities. The progress made can only be sustained through an inclusive and participatory system. 

The consultation was attended by Mayor, Ajmer Municipal Corporation; elected representatives and officials of various cities of Rajasthan, SIC Forum and Citizen Forum Members of Ajmer, experts on sanitation and municipal governance, civil society organisations, media and academia.