Swachh Ghar Mission Program

A CSR initiative by VST Industries Ltd., Hyderabad

With the aim of providing accessible water and sanitation for all, a CSR Initiative was started by VST Industries Ltd, Hyderabad from the year 2015 onwards wherein Gramalaya was given the approval for undertaking sanitation promotion works in Telangana State in South India. Under this program, household toilets are being promoted by Gramalaya with the SMART Toilet concept (Simple, Maintanable, Appropriate, Reusable and Technically Perfect) and involved in the implementation in selected villages of Medak and Jogulamba Gadwal Districts of Telangana State. So far more than 5215 SMART toilets were promoted by Gramalaya in the last three years phasing period.. The household toilets are constructed with the support of WASHMAN committees formed wherein the funds are being channelised through the WASHMAN committees in a joint account operation. WASHMAN committee members are capacitated and provided with water, sanitation and hygiene training and empowered through construction of household toilets in their respective villages.

Hygiene education, motivation and community mobilisation for demand creation for toilet construction was done through Participatory Rural Appraisal programs by village mapping, transect walk and door-to-door hygiene education by inter-personal communication that ensured people’s participation in the Swachh Ghar Mission program supported by VST Industries Ltd., The CSR Initiatives of VST Industries Ltd, resulted in better water and sanitation facilities for the rural poor in the operational areas and impacted the lives of more than 20,000 people in the Telangana State. The toilet models promoted under this program is a role model project for other States where sustainable sanitation models with twin leach-pits to ensure the human excreta safely disposed and reused. So far 5 villages Valluru, Kothapalli, Bhairapuram, Chinna Pothulapadu and Pedhpothulapadu villages declared as open defecation free where the community members are using the toilet facilities and stopped open defecation in the areas making every village as clean and neat. This program is supplementing the efforts of Central and State Government in making India a clean country under the Swachh Bharat Mission program.

In addition to the water and sanitation facilities created in the operational areas, the long lasting behaviour changes among the communities particularly among the women, adolescent girls and children resulted in the improvement of living conditions of the people with privacy, safety, security and dignity for them. The Government of Telangana is actively involved in our program as one of the major stakeholders in promoting household sanitation facilities in the State by giving permission for sand supply through the Mandal Revenue Officer and District Administration. The District Collector and SBM project functionaries are actively participating in the village Open Defecation Declaration functions and extended their full co-operation for the Swachh Ghar Mission program of VST Industries Ltd and Gramalaya the implementing organisation.