Model Community Programme

The ultimate aim of any development project is to improve the lives of people. It isn't always clear exactly how to do that. Our project focused on developing the municipal government. Community development would come through it. In 1995 the municipal government had no funds and little credibility. Investments in an middle income pilot area helped to reorient the city water and engineering departments toward well-planned and executed public works. There was, however, no financial contribution and little appreciation from that community. Still, the community has generally made sure that the improvements were maintained. 

Many useful things were learned from this pilot investment and applied in follow-on activities such as the solid waste programme. The city departments were mostly ready to undertake any development activities responsibly, but municipal funds were non-existent.

In order to make an impression on the city as a whole, a lot of repairs and improvements were needed, but the project had limited funds. A programme of community co-financing was necessary, but there was no precedent in Uttar Pradesh. How could it be done?

Community Co-financing

I walk to work through poor neighborhoods at the urban periphery and can sense the conditions of the community and its potential largely through its children. I am encouraged where children show spontaneous friendly behavior because they represent the original nature of their parents before the burdens of life overtook them. The first community that I found this way was Noorai ka Bhattha. Although the children showed great human potential, there were many fights among the adults over all manner of issues. Conditions were squalid and people were unhealthy. Whoever had a tape player blasted his neighbors. Life had little pleasure, except for the children playing in the open drain.

Noorai ka Bhattha Lane

In Noorai ka Bhattha (brick kiln) Lane an earthen ditch served as the main drain for the community. In the middle of the footpath, this drain received kitchen water and, since only 50 percent of the houses had toilets, dirty water also found its way to the open drain. Half those employed worked in the regional carpet industry. Especially during the monsoon season, the unpaved street with the open drain proved difficult for transporting the carpets up and down an incline to the houses where work is carried out.

The community had been established for over 30 years at the edge of the built-up area of the city, but had never been able to obtain basic urban services. Members of the community were unhappy about the large numbers of mosquitoes and other pests attracted to the open drain. They were ashamed at the appearance of the community and the fact that few people were willing to pass through it because the open drain made it appear that it was an unsafe area!

I thought that such a community might want to improve itself and asked the project community development specialist to try out the idea on the residents. 

After a few meetings in 1997 a positive reply was given. From their meager resources the community offered to contribute 20-30 percent of the cost of a drain construction.

However, before work could begin, water supply to the few nearly closed connections abruptly stopped. Then women and children were forced to walk long distances to collect water from hand pumps where others were already waiting in lines. This changed the situation completely and the community needed a hand pump instead.

After making their contribution collection a new hand pump was promptly installed. Soon after the community collected money for a new street drain. Almost all houses had extensions that blocked part of the footpath or open drains emptying onto the footpath. During and after the drain construction, the community met informally and as a panchayat, or village council, to remove these encroachments.

Drain construction took place during the monsoon season when there was a very real chance that the mud-walled houses could collapse. Members of the community kept watch through the night as the rains began. Several times the open ditch had to be temporarily filled in to prevent the collapse of the houses. Yet, the community was determined to make the sacrifice to take advantage of the opportunity to improve their living conditions.

Community residents continued to improve their lane with flagstones. and other improvements. Several families physically improved their homes and two small shops were opened. Less than one year after the installation of the hand pump and the new drain, the community collected money to pave the mud foot path. When municipal staff does not clean the drain, male members of the community clean it themselves. After all, it is their drain, built with their hard-earned money! 

The News Spreads

Every person in this community knows many others in other communities and is a good advertisement who facilitates communication of news and ideas. Since this programme went well in their community, people in other communities got to know about it. This transmission and understanding process takes time.

The next question was how to expand the programme. Since there are many poor communities at the urban periphery these were a natural target. 

After successful testing in several an additional objective was established that as many communities of sanitation workers as possible be included. The reason for this was to support the improvement in the solid waste programme by improving home communities as well as work conditions.

Community Awareness Programme