Improved sanitation for Bhubaneswar & Cuttack
Project Sammaan is a multi-layered, years-long, and complex design and research initiative seeking to provide improved, functional sanitation facilities to India’s urban slums. Several phases were identified that categorize all of the project’s efforts and activities. It is important to note that these phases often occur in parallel; there is not a linear progression from one to the next.
Operations And ManagementThis stage involves handing over the sanitation facilities to the communities and private vendors who will run them. It includes implementing a training and handover program at each location.
ConstructionThis phase involves building the 119 sanitation facilities in 3 batches of approximately 40 facilities each over a fixed time period. It also involves implementing appropriate project management and quality assurance protocols to ensure on-time, high-quality, within-budget construction.
Pre-ConstructionThis stage involves mobilizing the construction supply chain: construction vendors, product vendors, warehousing etc. It also involves conducting "pre-construction dialog" with communities to prepare them for the construction phase.
Monitoring and Evaluation This stage involves monitoring the performance of these improved sanitation facilities on a list of key parameters. A process evaluation exercise will be implemented in parallel with J-PAL’s Randomized Control Trial (RCT) method to gauge effectiveness.
Design This stage involves adopting the user-centered design process to design improved sanitation facility designs. A three stage process with two intermediate milestones to absorb stakeholder feedback has been defined.
Planning This stage involves shaping specifics of Project Sammaan, such as finalizing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the municipal corporations of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, planning locations for the 119 sanitation facilities, and assembling a consortium of architects, infrastructure management firms, and community NGOs to execute the project.
Research focuses on user experience, habits, perceptions, management models, as well as health and hygiene habits in India’s urban slums.