Community Mobilisation
- A Tool For Development : the ‘Swajal’ experience
H C Srivastava
The ‘SWAJAL’ Project
T he
development of rural communities in the post independence period
witnessed the first ever planned intervention through the setting up
of community development blocks. Conceptually, it was a well thought
out plan. However as the experience of several decades has proved,
such interventions have been dismal failures if viewed in terms of
cost-benefit alone. The key reasons for failures are the lack or
absence of :
|
1. |
Community
mobilisation |
|
2. |
Commitment to the
cause. |
|
3. |
Community
participation in decision making. |
The SWAJAL Project, undertaken by the Department
of Rural Development, UP Government, can be considered as a genesis
of the above experience. There is also a belated realisation by
international funding agencies, particularly the World Bank, that
unless the beneficiary community is involved at all stages of
development projects, the resources will continue to be squandered.
This project, in terms of time frame, may not appear to be fast
moving as the target is the coverage of 1,000 villages, for
provision of drinking water supply and sanitation facilities in a
phased manner, over a period of six years (1996 to 2002). However,
the unique aspect is that, for the first time in the country, some
radical initiatives have been taken in project development and
management. These are:
|
i. |
A nearly autonomous
body, free from direct bureaucratic control set up for project
management. |
|
ii. |
Project planning and
implementation being done by the community, through selected
NGOs as facilitators, and decision making by the community,
within well laid out and detailed project guidelines. |
|
iii. |
Nearly
one-and-a-half year’s time devoted in each phase for
permissibility studies and detailed project planning. |
|
iv. |
A truly
micro-development approach. For the first time, single
village-based water supply and sanitation schemes are being
implemented, in contrast to usual regional/mega-schemes. |
|
v. |
The project is
demand driven. |
|
vi. |
The beneficiary
community has a vital stake in the project through cost sharing
: 10 per cent in capital cost and 100 per cent O & M cost. |
|
vii. |
After completion,
each of these micro-schemes will be managed entirely by the
village community. |
|
viii. |
Capacity building of
village community as also that of the facilitating NGOs (support
organisations). |
|
ix. |
An elaborate plan
for community mobilisation through a series of complementary
activities like setting up of a village level committee
consisting of people’s representatives and providing non-formal
education, hygiene and environmental sanitation awareness,
women’s development initiatives etc. |
|
x. |
Specific measures
for women’s participation and upliftment. |
DA Experience as Support
Organisation
Development
Alternatives (DA), Jhansi has so far taken up 14 villages under the
SWAJAL project-five villages in Batch I and nine in Batch II, which
are in implementation and planning phase respectively. In the first
five villages, which have moved from the planning to implementation
phase, the community mobilisation efforts have led to successful
formation of Village Water Supply and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs),
with 30 per cent women and 20 per cent SC/ST members (as per project
guidelines). Though this process had its own hiccups due to conflict
in the interest of various social groups, yet a consensus was
finally reached.
A non-formal education programme has been
initiated separately for male and female groups and has, together
with hygiene and environmental sanitation sessions, led to
significant attitudinal and behavioural change. Capacity building of
the community, and particularly the VWSCs, has enabled the former to
articulate their demands in project planning, undertake group
activities for village welfare like Shramaddan for road widening and
cleanliness drives, mobilising 2 per cent up-front cash contribution
by the community, procurement of construction materials, maintenance
of records and preparation of community resource maps etc.
DA has helped the community to organise
additional activities like health check-up camps in villages (with
the help of male and female physicians and trained para-medical
staff) games, sports, cultural programmes and the celebration of
Republic day.
Inspite of all these interventions, there are
several problems. The problems are mainly related to social aspects,
conflict resolution and sustenance of community interest. The
solution of such problems are explored from time to time within the
community. It cannot be claimed that with a couple of years of
planned intervention the social dynamics and the rural mind-set,
developed over decades, can be completely transformed. However,
irrespective of the level of success, an in-road has been made in
developmental planning and management, which is primarily focused on
people’s participation. Community mobilisation has been an important
tool to achieve it.
If the project succeeds to a reasonable degree of
satisfaction, then definitely a new chapter will be added in the
history of social development. If the government takes cognisance of
this historic change and has the political will to assimilate this
change, then it will be a turning point in democratic governance.
The impact of community mobilisation is specially
noticeable in one of the project villages - Punawali Kalan. Here,
the community, after examining in detail various technical options
for water supply systems with their attendant performance and cost
factors, decided to have piped water supply from tubewells energised
by solar photo-voltaic cells. Each VWSC has prepared its detailed
plans for monitoring the project construction works and community
development activities during the implementation phase. Construction
materials management will be done by the community representatives
who have been exclusively trained for this purpose.
Similarly the treasurers of the VWSCs are being
trained for finance management and accounting procedures. Specific
steps are being taken in consultation with the community to maintain
complete transparency in all matters.
q
HC Srivastava is Regional Manager
Development Alternatives, Jhansi.
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