The third South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-III) began in New Delhi on Tuesday with a call to develop sanitation technologies for diverse eco systems. Inaugurating the four day conference Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said such technologies should be affordable and sustainable. He said sanitation issues need to be given priority in our development policy approaches. Its cross cutting implications need study and greater understanding. The role of community leadership in changing old habits and ways of thinking will be crucial as our experience has shown. The capacities of our rural and urban local bodies to address this issue from both social and economic angles will need to be enhanced. The Prime Minister stressed upon need to build local capacity in construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities.
The Prime Minister said sanitation has to be located in an integrated framework of public health policy to ensure that sanitation activities are adequately funded. He called for using scientific ingenuity to take India to the next generation of scientific technology. Referring to the “barefoot engineers” where rural youth are trained in multiple engineering skills to repair agricultural pumpsets, handpumps, rural household power connections, agricultural implements and sanitation facilities. He said his Government has conceived of a major national initiative for skill development and hoped that we will be able to integrate training of such engineers into this national plan. He was also emphasized for exploring new models of solid and liquid waste management through innovative and even income generating schemes. The Prime Minister called for realizing Mahatma Gandhi’s clarion for total sanitation and assure a life of dignity and good health to all citizens of South Asia.
Addressing the Conference Union Rural Development Minister Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh detailed the Total Sanitation Campaign initiated by his ministry for achieving the Millenium development Goal set up by the United Nations. He said Rs.4106 crore has been allocated for this purpose. He called for collective efforts to accelerate the progress of sanitation and hygiene in South Asia. Giving a brief account of the theme for the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation “Sanitation for Dignity and Health" he said issues like Sanitation and Sustainability, Sanitation and Development, Sanitation Beyond Toilets and Institutions and Partnerships for Sanitation will be discussed at length.
The chair of the conference was also passed upon to Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh by the Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Environment Mr. Hamidullah Jan Afridi during the inaugural session. Earlier Sh. Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Minister of State for Rural Development in his welcome address gave an account of the sanitation efforts.
Besides, members of different UN/International Agencies/ networks, International and National NGOs, State officials, members of Panchayati Raj Institutions, local organizations, self help groups, women groups, community based organizations and the like are expected to participate in the conference. Issues related with sustainable sanitation, making it people-centric, addressing gender issues, sanitation for nomadic and landless communities, economic gains of good sanitation, aspects of emergency situations, legal aspects relating to clean environment are likely to be discussed at length.
The objectives of such the conferences are, to accelerate the progress of sanitation and hygiene in South Asia and to enhance peoples’ quality of life in fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals and the commitments made in the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Till date two conferences (SACOSANs) have been held at Bangladesh (2003) and Pakistan (2006) respectively.
The four day Conference is being attended by 1100 delegates from Eight neighbouring countries of the region.
