Water connection scheme

Kerala Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (KRWSA) is an important player in the rural water supply and sanitation sector in Kerala. It has successfully developed a viable alternate model for service delivery based on the sound principles of community cost sharing and management of operation and maintenance by beneficiaries themselves. The project also give emphasis for the transfer of existing single panchayat piped water supply schemes (currently owned and managed by Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to Grama Panchayats (GPs) and then to Beneficiary Groups (BGs) for the future operation and maintenance, as per the new Government of Kerala (GoK) policy. The Jalanidhi model of rural water supply schemes has successfully demonstrated an equitable, inclusive and decentralized delivery system benefiting the SC, ST and BPL category of rural households in Kerala.

Sanitation and hygiene

The World Health Organisation define the term sanitation as the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces. The word “sanitation” also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage collection and waste water disposal. Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage (oxford dictionary-definition of sanitation). Sanitation systems aim to protect human health by providing a clean environment that will stop the transmission of disease, especially through the faecal – oral route (Susan, 2008). The overall purpose of sanitation are to provide a healthy living environment for everyone, to protect the natural resources and to provide safety, security and dignity for people when they defecate or urinate.