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Swajaldhara and
Sector Reforms Scheme (State) – Partnering with NGOs |
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| With the
scaling up of the Swajaldhara programme and the universalization
of sector reforms in rural drinking water sector to eventually
cover all villages in Gujarat, WASMO has entered into a
partnership with 28 NGOs. The number of villages that are
currently being covered under Swajaldhara programme and Sector
Reforms Scheme (State) have increased to about 1050 from about
600 in 2003-04. So far, the activities were being facilitated by
the District Water and Sanitation Committee (DWSC) with the
support of Core Teams instituted by WASMO. However, with
geographic expansion of the programmes, it was necessary to
partner with NGOs and include them in the programme activities
as Implementation Support Agencies. |
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| In the
‘Guidelines on Swajaldhara’ issued by the Government of India,
NGOs can be included for facilitating activities such as social
mobilisation, communication and capacity development,
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Human Resource Development
(HRD), training; and implementation of the scheme. Accordingly,
the ISAs supporting the two programmes will play a number of
roles. They will act as change agents, intermediaries, source of
knowledge and process managers. |
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Activities of NGOs as Implementation Support Agencies
Specifically, ISAs will focus on the following activities: |
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Community mobilisation: The ISAs will familiarize the
rural communities about the programme and will explain what
criteria need to be met for them to be included in its
activities. They will also conduct baseline surveys and will
undertake the process of need identification. |
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Institution building: ISAs will facilitate the formation
of Pani Samitis in the project villages and will assist in the
selection of members and leaders. They will also extend support
for finance-related activities and will engage in capacity
building of these institutions. The training provided to Pani
Samitis will enable them to manage their own water supply
systems as well as administrative and procedural matters. The
village panchayats will also be provided guidance whenever
necessary. The Village Action Plans that are prepared for each
village will be facilitated by the ISAs. |
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Hygiene promotion: The ISAs will largely be involved in
generating awareness for promoting improved hygiene practices
through interaction with the communities and through the
preparation of IEC material. They will also work closely with
school children so that they become practitioners of safe health
and hygiene behavior from a young age. |
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Water Supply: ISAs will lend extensive support for
ensuring assured in-village water supply and distribution. They
will help the Pani Samitis review different technical options
for selecting their water sources and schemes, and will also
enable the communities to interact with technical consultants.
ISAs will extend support for site selection, designing of
systems, selection of contractors, quality control and financial
management. |
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Water Resource Management: Activities for WRM will
be facilitated through an intensive planning exercise with the
people. Rooftop rainwater harvesting structures at community
places will be promoted and support will be provided to the
village for the preparation and implementation of WRM plans.
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Water Quality Surveillance: The ISAs will promote
water quality surveillance at the grassroot level as per the
Catchment Area Approach. They will sensitize and educate the
communities about the necessity of safe drinking water and will
also build their capacities for the method of chlorination of
drinking water. The ISAs will also generate awareness for
checking water quality deterioration and taking remedial
measures. |
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Reporting, Monitoring and Coordination: The NGOS
will adopt a proper reporting and monitoring system in
consultation with DWSC and will report to the DWSC on a monthly
basis about financial, physical and IEC progress. Monitoring
will include the work done by the NGO with the community
members, the work done by the NGO management for their
respective field staff, and the progress of work in the
villages. It will also include the development of methodologies
for participatory monitoring and evaluation of NGOs, in which
NGO personnel will be involved, and also the performance
evaluation of NGOs by an external agency. |
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Management: NGOs will evolve and maintain regular
monitoring mechanisms to check the efficiency of their work and
achievements of the desired inputs on time. Their managerial
tasks include devising work plans; participation in meetings of
government departments, various groups, CMSU and other agencies;
dissemination of experiences; and providing support to
communities. |
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Activities to be
carried out by NGOs under Swajaldhara / Sector Reforms Scheme
(State) |
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