Kalyani Municipality’s CLTS empowers local communities with the goal of creating an open, defecation-free environment, especially in slums, through a participatory approach of self-mobilization and facilitation. This brings about behavioural change to ensure 100% sustained usage of sanitary toilets, thereby making Kalyani an Open Defecation Free (ODF) area.
Kalyani, located 65 km north of Kolkata in West Bengal, is one of the 39 municipalities under Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) with a population of 0.1 million, of which approximately 50% lives in 52 slums. These people have mainly migrated from neighboring Bangladesh. Over the past ten years, more than Rs. 3 crore has been spent on different projects for constructing toilets for the urban poor, improving the sanitation profile of Kalyani. Despite a lot of investment from different projects, Kalyani was not open-defecation free (ODF), as this was a common practice even amongst those given toilets free-of-cost by donor agencies. This led to a lot of health problems amongst other citizens as well.
Against the above background, CLTS was conceived in late 2005 under the Kolkata Urban Services For The Poor Programme (KUSP), funded by the Department For International Development (DFID). The chairperson of Kalyani Municipality showed political will and leadership in motivating its councilors and making Kalyani an ODF town. The Board of Councilors (BoC) unanimously accepted the proposal to pilot the CLTS project in Kalyani Municipal Area in January 2006. The chief health functionary of the ULB coordinated and facilitated the implementation of the entire programme.

Initially, the pilot project was implemented in five slums only. However, inspired by the success of the project, Kalyani decided to make all the 52 slums ODF. A team of experts, including a Participatory Development Consultant and medical doctors, were involved in the initiative that conducted a series of awareness-creation workshops. Regular interaction with slum dwellers, emergence and nurturing of community leaders, and continuous monitoring by the CLTS team, made it possible to make all the slums ODF.

Strategies adopted include not providing further subsidy for toilet construction, providing technical support to slum dwellers on low-cost sanitary toilets, increasing awareness regarding the ill-effects of open defecation, motivating and mobilising communities through participatory methods, using PRA tools and incentives for community leaders, and awards for clean ward/slum/area/school/class etc.
The CLTS programme is community-led and not dependent on external support. It results in sustained behavior change and builds self-respect, dignity and self-confidence, especially in women. People are encouraged to build toilets with their own resources, creating ownership and sustained usage. Unlike free toilets, which are poorly maintained and even abandoned, people are interested in maintaining these. Proper triggering, facilitation, interaction, motivation and incentives are necessary initially.

There is great potential for replication. Once people realize the need for a behavioral change to maintain sanitation, and its direct bearing on health, they do it willingly. The CLTS programme methodology makes people realize the need.
Kalyani was declared open-defecation free by the state of West Bengal on 29 Jan 2009. It got a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakhs to expand and continue its health programme on "Correction Of Anaemia" which is directly related to open defecation. As a first ODF town in India, Kalyani is much cleaner. Its slums have benefited not only from sanitation, but also from other developmental works. This is because ODF slums are given priority for all ULB development works. There is the visible impact of the urban poor recognizing that health is linked to sanitation. Records of the health department show a considerable decrease in gastro-intestinal disorders, and an increased number of man-days. Demand has been generated for more pay-and-use public toilets in Kalyani.

For further details, contact:

Prof. Shantanu Jha, Chairperson
Kalyani Municipality, Kalyani
West Bengal, 741235
Telephone: 033-25829570
Fax: 033-25828630/25827474
Email: sjha2007@gmail.com

Dr. Kasturi Bakshi, AHO
Kalyani Municipality
Telephone: 033-25829230
Fax: 033-25828630/ 033-25827474, Mobile: 09339127701
Email: bakshijhilik@gmail.com