NGO in Kolkata Spreading Awareness About Sanitation

Today every individual is talking about Clean India Mission and the Government today is laying stress on construction of proper toilets and washrooms in every household which remains absent in the rural areas. According to the National Sanitation Policy, forty percent of the Indian population do not have proper bathroom and they have to go in open fields. It is a tough ask converting such vast numbers of dry toilets into the water borne system. However, the first and foremost it is also a huge task to make people aware regarding the importance of constructing proper washroom in their house and utilize it. They should also be made aware about how they are actually inviting the germs and diseases when they defecate in the open. The NGOs can play a significant role in spreading this all important message even in the remote areas by organizing camps and through advertisement.

The seemingly staggering order of the recourses required to cover the entire population with sanitation facilities, however, can be managed given the will and strong motivation. And from where this motivational factor would arrive? The NGO in Kolkata has to play a vital role by making the concerned government authorities aware about whether this policy is being implemented properly or not. No wonder, even where toilets are provided, it basically remains unused. The programme has been implemented in a centralized manner, without developing the decentralized system of delivery mechanism. However, now efforts are being made to involve the grass-root level organizations such as the NGOs who are doing a commendable job. It has also been found out that people also fail to construct toilets due to insufficient money. Therefore, the government is also providing financial aids to such families.

It has been said earlier that organizing such a large programme of voluntary effort along with bringing about an awakening of the need for sanitation is by no means easy. Pour flush latrines with leach pits are the cheapest sanitation facility now being recommended not only in India but throughout the developing world. However, widespread application of this method can be possible only in areas where there is no scarcity of water. Thus where there is abundance of water, the Sulabh system of toilets is being widely adopted.

The involvement of the Non Governmental Organizations on the wider scale in sanitation programmes which are in fact a service to the community should seriously be considered. The NGOs work as a link between the people and the government. They ensure the success of the programmes by bringing about attitudinal changes and involving the people in the community projects. The active participation of the people ensures greater chances of success and cost effectiveness than total dependence on the government. Why voluntary organizations succeed, where government agencies fail, is due to the fact that, usually government personal are viewed with suspicion by the rural community. Motivation, awareness, implementation and follow up action in case of NGO in Kolkata are faster than that of the governmental agencies.