Why there is a need for philanthropic investments in urban sanitation in India

India has made huge strides in its sanitation journey since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014. Accelerating its ambitious goal of making the country open defecation was not a small achievement and has driven the country towards significant sanitation gains. However, this is where sustainable sanitation starts from. To move towards ‘safely managed sanitation’, it is essential to ensure that the faecal waste from these toilets is safely collected and treated. After flushing, if the waste is not contained properly, or is not treated and disposed safely, it ends up contaminating water bodies and soil which can pose severe health and environmental hazards.

Through schemes such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM 2.0), the government is also moving beyond access to toilets, to ensuring safe access to sanitation services, provide a safer livelihood to sanitation workers, improve the socio-economic status of urban poor, adopt decentralised methods like faecal sludge and septage management and mechanised technologies. While we have seen significant progress over the years, adequate funding can bolster opportunities towards ensuring inclusive and equitable approaches to benefit the most marginalised communities and overcome the challenges of rapid urbanisation.

Mostly supported by public funding, urban sanitation has seen low private sector investment, mainly in isolated CSR activities. Since 2006, the private sector has invested about $620 million, mostly towards Swachh Bharat schemes and behavioural change communication. However, driving investments towards other aspects of the sanitation value chain, that ensure safety and equitable inclusion of marginalised groups, is crucial.

One of the reasons for the low involvement of the private sector is primarily because of less awareness of underlying issues of sanitation that might not be visible immediately. The Iceberg Syndrome in philanthropy dictates that giving is strongly linked to issues where tangible outcomes – the tip of the iceberg – can be seen. For example - funding infrastructural initiatives such as building schools or toilets where the results are visible. However, philanthropic investments in the invisible and massive part of the iceberg representing the underlying causes and systemic issues can create sustainable impact and >overcome the challenges of rapid urbanisation.

These crucial outcomes can be achieved by directing the discourse from infrastructural sanitation goals to a more sustainable approach to city-wide inclusive sanitation (CWIS)— which aims to ensure everyone has access to safely managed sanitation by promoting solutions tailored to the realities of rapidly growing cities. Considering the role of philanthropy in combatting critical challenges, there is hope that increased philanthropic involvement can also catalyse the achievement of inclusive sanitation outcomes.

• Fostering inclusive sanitation

About 30 per cent of women in urban India are assaulted every year while accessing sanitation facilities, and 23 per cent of young girls drop out of school due to a lack of toilets. Marginalised groups, particularly transgender persons, menstruating individuals and people with disabilities, are vulnerable to exploitative situations in the absence of specially designed sanitation services suitable to their needs. With the recent infrastructure boost, it becomes important to evaluate the extent and mechanisms to which sanitation services are accessed by all. This further underscores the need to include marginalized sections across the sanitation value chain and the creation of road maps outlining CWIS.

Alongside access, representatives of vulnerable groups must be provided with the opportunity to be in decision-making positions throughout the formulation, implementation and monitoring of policies that aim to cater to their needs. Philanthropists are well placed to use their influence to move the needle towards truly inclusive sanitation where women, transgender persons and people with disabilities have access to safe sanitation services, authority, and representation as decision-makers across the sanitation value chain.

• Reimagining representation in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and building their capacities:

Building resilience in cities and supporting them to manage growth sustainably and equitably through long term interventions requires collaborative action at the local level, focusing on supporting local government bodies and local leaders. Most ULBs in the country are understaffed and lack skilled human resources, primarily due to limited funds. India’s 85000+ councillors form the closest link between the communities and the government bodies, and building their capacity plays an integral role in ensuring that community-specific solutions are designed.

Legally, a minimum of 1/3^rd of seats in ULBs must be reserved for women, with many states even raising this to half. Investing resources in the empowerment and leadership of women councillors in ULBs, who can bring an inclusive, gender-sensitive lens, could be the best bet we make for transforming cities and in the process, surmount the foremost societal challenges of the 21st century (climate change, water and sanitation, gender equality, jobs, migration and economic growth, social cohesion, etc.).

The private sector and philanthropists can adequately support strengthening ULBs and driving collaborative action by investing in the capacity building of leadership and governance systems. Such support will result in inclusive policies and outcomes across the sanitation sector, ensure the efficiency of sanitation solutions, and timely payments to grassroots sanitation entrepreneurs and professionals. Collaborative bodies such as the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management Alliance (NFSSM Alliance) have made immense progress toward testing approaches and scaling them up. Their interventions have strengthened the foundation of India’s sanitation sector, focusing on multi-stakeholder collaborations across ULBs, governments, private sector players, and citizens, and community-based organisations.

• Ensuring safe working conditions for sanitation workers

Out of five million sanitation workers employed in the sector, almost two million work in high-risk conditions. Their work includes emptying toilet pits and septic tanks, cleaning and maintaining sewers, segregating or managing waste, cleaning community toilets, and operating pumping stations and treatment plants. These jobs expose them to hazardous situations, making it necessary to adopt an inclusive and technical approach for their safety.

One such system is Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), a slow, multi-facet process that spans across levels, from the community to stakeholders, to foster sustainable impact. It reduces the health risks sanitation workers are exposed to and ensures dignified livelihoods. Philanthropic investments for OHS can play a key role in the safety of sanitation workers by providing them with safety equipment such as designed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and facilitating skill-building of sanitation workers.

A WHO finding highlights the significance of sanitation in socio-economic improvement: a dollar spent on sanitation saves $9 spent on health, education, and economic development. Achieving equitable sanitation solutions as mentioned in SDG 6.2 and ensuring adaptability of cities to rapid urbanisation in India require a multi-facet approach. Here, collaborative efforts driven by government, private sector, philanthropic investments, and communities, play a crucial role in acting collectively, to ensure the development of the urban poor and vulnerable groups.

Philanthropists are thought leaders across sectors and have the potential to support local governments and direct attention towards the sanitation needs of vulnerable communities using their influence and expertise. The role of philanthropic investments in the sector is paramount to building an inclusive and resilient infrastructure across cities. With the rapid increase in urbanisation, many of us for years have been on the fence about directing our energy toward sectors like WSH. However, now is the time to act beyond the tip of the iceberg and focus on underlying issues, solving which shall ensure an equitable and resilient future.

The author is co-founder and partner at Dasra. Views are personal.

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