Bringing sustainable and equitable sanitation services to small and medium towns

The key issues addressed by this project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), were the lack of universal access to quality sanitation services in small and medium towns. This project piloted approaches for non-networked solutions and private sector engagement in two towns in the Indian state of Maharashtra – Wai and Sinnar. These towns presented distinct challenges in sanitation provision, and were the “laboratory” for us to test approaches that can be applied to other similar towns, as well as to unserved areas in larger towns. Both cities have now been declared ODF++ under Swachh Bharat Mission protocols and lessons from this experience are now being applied to provide support to all cities in Maharashtra.