One of First Districts in Country, Dhenkanal Demonstrates Urban- Rural Convergence in Faecal Sludge Management

Dhenkanal: Dhenkanal is one of the first districts in the country to demonstrate urban- rural convergence in Faecal Sludge Management (FSM), fulfilling the Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s vision of making ‘Swachha Odisha, Swasth Odisha’. This is plausible due to a collaborative partnership of UNICEF with the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi under its initiative ‘Scaling City Institutions for India: Water and Sanitation’, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, and the District Administration, Dhenkanal.

The Pilot Project on “Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in Rural Areas of Dhenkanal District” aims to systematize urban-rural convergence for Faecal Sludge Management in the nearby Gram Panchayats (GPs) located within 10 kms radius from the Urban Local body boundary and demonstrate a Greenfield SLWM system for a cluster of GPs. Furthermore, the Project will develop a novel District Sanitation Plan, which will provide a roadmap for SLWM interventions in the district for streamlining the sanitation service chain and public service delivery.

The District Administration of Dhenkanal in collaboration with the UNICEF and SCI-FI team, formally launched the initiative on urban- rural convergence on SLWM on September 29, 2020 via videoconferencing with remarks by the Collector and District Magistrate, Dhenkanal. The workshop also discussed on the situation assessment of Dhenkanal on SLWM, which was based on the survey carried out last month.

Bhumesh Chandra Behera, Collector & District Magistrate, Dhenkanal, said, “Dhenkanal is uniquely placed in handling the FSM in the urban area. Dhenkanal Municipality has become a model for pioneering faecal sludge and septage management in the country. Numbers of national and international visitors have already visited the Dhenkanal Municipality to study the FSM facilities. Our priority is to extend these urban facilities to the rural areas to improve the quality of life of the rural populace. This project is a timely intervention for us to achieve our larger objective of swachh and swasth Dhenkanal that encompasses sustaining ODF gains accrued in 2019, and the district administration will provide all kinds of support for successful implementation of the project and development of a scalable and replicable model for the rural areas.”

Monika O. Nielsen, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF mentioned, “UNICEF’s been a longstanding collaborator with the Government of Odisha on a wide range of developmental initiatives centered on children, adolescents, and vulnerable communities. UNICEF is delighted to demonstrate the operationalization of the Policy through the Pilot Project on Solid and Liquid Waste Management in Rural Areas of Dhenkanal District with the Centre for Policy Research. The Pilot Project responds to the current state and national imperatives and provides learning opportunity to inform state and nation-wide sanitation efforts”.

Sujoy Mojumdar, WASH Specialist, UNICEF said, “Being a national-level partner for the Ministry of Jal Shakti for creating safe and sustainable water and sanitation outcomes, UNICEF is excited to support the Pilot Project on Solid and Liquid Waste Management in Rural Areas of Dhenkanal District. The Project’s two-pronged approach to enabling district-wide SLWM is highly unique, comprehensive and provides a scalable model for state and nation-wide efforts. We are certain that the Project will not only enable Dhenkanal to emerge as one of the first districts in India to have “safely managed sanitation” but show the path for many more districts and states”.

Commenting on the collaboration, Senior Fellow and SCI-FI’s Project Director Shubhagato Dasgupta said “Since 2013, we have been closely working with Housing and Urban Development Department, GoO, Dhenkanal Municipality and the district administration on a range of issues including innovative solutions for sanitation and FSM. Dhenkanal FSTP in the State is the first FSTP for a medium town which was supported by CPR, Practical Action with the support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and Arghyam. The Plant is operational since October 2018 and is already serving some rural areas. Under this project, systematic approach is taken to plug in GPs (10KM radius) with the existing Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant facility in Dhenkanal. This collaboration is in line with the SBM II guidelines to sustain the Open Defecation Free (ODF) gains in the district. I am happy that today’s workshop will pave the way for the success of urban- rural convergence on SLWM under the committed leadership of District Collector, Dhenkanal, with active participation of other stakeholders in the district including the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)”.