The situation in Chennai is not very different from the rest of India. Keeping the above issue in mind, under operation goodwill, TARA (Technology and Action for Rural Advancement) has received a corporate social responsibility grant from Ford Motors for addressing safe drinking water and sanitation needs of government schools in villages of Chennai. The targeted villages include Melrosapuram, Peramanur, Karunilam, Keezhakkaranai, Tirukkachur and Kattur. Schools are being targeted as today’s youth are great change agents and have a deep impact on the family and community actions. The programme began with assessing the existing situation in a few schools. The analysis was conducted by TARA, wherein it was observed that the students were drinking water from open wells that had no process of purification and also a majority of the students practiced open defecation. This was not only due to lack of toilets but also because of unhygienic toilets in the schools. The awareness level of the students on the need and importance of safe drinking water and sanitation facility was also found to be low.

This emphasised an immediate need for providing a sustainable system to address the problem of lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities for the students. Hence, apart from providing the infrastructure in the form of toilets and filters, a lot of effort is being put on sensitising both the students and the teachers for good sanitation practices and need for safe drinking water. Through these interactions with the students and the teachers, a sense of ownership about the toilets and filters is being gradually built.

During the month of September 2012, as part of Ford’s ‘Global Week of Caring’, two awareness workshops were conducted to increase the awareness level of the students. The session included a PowerPoint presentation, a short movie, live demonstration of water testing on selected few parameters, and a game to emphasise the need and importance of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. A painting competition was later conducted to assess the student’s understanding and the best three paintings were simulated in the inner walls of the school toilets to assert their ownership.

As of now, two multi-utility toilets comprising three toilet seats have been constructed at Peramanur High School and CSI High School, Melrosapuram. Also, three water filters have been installed at Peramanur High School, Peramanur Primary School and Tirukkachur High School. Eco-committees will be formed in the coming months comprising of students and a few teachers for supervision, wherein the maintenance of these infrastructures will be taken up by them.

This initiative has already benefited thousands of students and in the near future, three more multi-utility toilets and eleven more water filters will be installed to improve the water and sanitation facilities.

However, this is just the beginning of a long journey… q