The role of SHG women in the O&M of FSTPs (India)

In engaging SHG women are in the direct involvement of the operation and maintenance (O & M) of the faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) are a livelihood and a good business model, these models can be replicated anywhere and any place. The Sircilla FSTP shall replicate the Odisha model through the key learnings and lessons from the operation and maintenance of the FSTPs which are implemented by the SHG women in Berhampur, Dhenkanal, and Puri. Telangana has paved the way for gender intentional sanitation through women entrepreneurship initiatives in partnership with WE-HUB and MEPMA and bringing in gender intentionality in the design of model contracts/RFPs to reserve CT/PT O & M by women SHGs. Currently 170 such contracts have been extended to women SHGs. Women can also run this type of operations and maintenance in the sanitation sector. FSM services shall replicate a financial and better business model to the women. Sircilla FSTP is currently handed over for the operation and maintenance to the SHG members, who are trained and those were involved directly in the FSM services, they are running the decanting/de- sludging services through the 4,000 LC 2 no. of vacuum trucks by the 2 no. of SHG members by taking loan from the NSKFDC, New Delhi. Those groups are providing the low-cost emptying services to the citizens successfully and also, they are maintaining the O&M of Sircilla FSTP properly and those are taking the samples for every quarter for lab testing purpose. Through this study, involving the women in the sanitation services directly or indirectly and those definitely became sanitation change agents along with their women empowerment.