Newsletter

Source: http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/

Vol 1, September to December 2013

Background
The Basti Vikas Manch, a non-aliated city wide platform of Citizens, was formally launched in March
2011 for working towards the betterment of conditions in slums of Hyderabad primarily on issues of
drinking Water and Sanitation. The objective was to create a citizen's platform to bring in greater
transparency and public participation in government decision-making processes. This would enable the
slum dwellers on demanding their rights and resolving their issues without any external intervention.
During rst phase, intervention was implemented in three wards by introducing drinking water quality
monitoring which was performed by the community themselves. This resulted in initiation of establishing
a system in smaller pockets. In order to increase collective strength of the communities regular dialogues
and capacity building on WASH issues was initiated so that reach of this platform can increase. With the
grounding of Basthi Vikas Manch the community witnessed its strength in identifying the problem and a
pathway of resolving the issues by an interface with the government ocials directly.

About BVM
Project Objectives

The primary objectives is to upscale the eorts

initiated in the last phase by analysing the water
quality situation, supporting
communities/organisation in the identied
slums, assessment of budgetary performances,

procedural hindrances to transparency,

Activating the Ward Sabhas and Basti Vikas
manch and to utilise the same as a lobbying tool
in the hands of citizens for change.

About BVM

Structure

Evolving a Knowledge base: A knowledge base

in created amongst the community where tools
like RTI, Training programme on government
schemes on WATSAN for the Urban poor,
Capacity building and eld research in
conducted. The information collected is shared
with the communities by conducting small
Basthi meetings. This enables the slum dwellers
to use the information during interface with the
government.
Demand for Rights : Demand for Right is
initiated by developing representations and
submitting them at the respective government
oces. Regular follow ups are conducted to
check the status.
Struggle through Public Pressure Public
pressure is built on both the Government and
the legislative body via tools like media
highlight, interface meeting with the elected
representatives and concerned government
ocers.

BVM Launched in March 2011

Functionality

In order to increase collective strength of the

communities regular dialogues and capacity
building on WASH issues is initiated so that
reach of this platform can increase. The tools
and methodologies that are promoted are as
follows.

Regulate community- BVM is responsible for

the community behaviour and knowledge
development. Hence, regular information on
the issues resolved and issues pending are
updated at the community level.

Activities

Inception and Basthi meetings

The project was initiated with Inception meetings and Basthi walk. As there was a gap of Six months to
start the project , hence three consecutive meetings were conducted in all the three identied wards with
the convenors of each cluster to map the issues pertaining to WATSAN. As a part of the inception
meeting, a strategic meeting with all the key members of Basti Vikas Manch was organized wherein the
modus-operandi of the Basti Vikas Manch was re- developed.
Followed by the inception meetings were the Basthi (slum) walks, which helped in understanding area
wise issue. Though each ward had its own issues with dierent dynamics the issue of municipal solid
waste, public toilets and school sanitation were broadly the common issues for all.

Identifying strategic issues

The Issue identication process was focused on issues and concerns which were most strategically
important and timely. Strategic issues were identied during the Basthi meetings. Issues pertaining to the
community were identied democratically and covered the youth, women, children in this process to
ensure equity and inclusion. The following is the three stage methodology adopted for the issue
identication process.

Activities

Review Meetings
Regular review meetings were conducted with the core members of the Basthi Vikas Manch. Team
coordination was improved with regular planning and monitoring. Emphasis was given to develop
second line of leadership in the BVM and to ensure sustainability. Sta capacity building was done
through internal and external inputs. A major improvement has been the planning of activities through
participatory and consultative processes. Capacity building programmes of sta and volunteers were
planned based on the demand of the BVM members.

Representations

Water quality Testing

The quality of water is always a concern for the slum dwellers and it is still is. The slum dwellers knew that
the water which they consume had some contamination but they do not know the ideal to understand
the nature of the contamination. In this regard, water quality testing was the major intervention wherein
the community was trained to test the water by themselves and understand the nature of it. This was one
of the major activities through which BVM penetrated into the basthis. The water board had identied
the eorts of the BVM in this regard and acknowledge it. The water board had invited the BVM to
collaborate with them in this eort and carry forward this initiative in the slums.

School Sanitation

The school sanitation concept explains that children should be empowered with their rights, especially
on WATSAN. The situation of the govt schools under the project area was so wretched that it was
mandatory that the BVM start its intervention in all such identied schools. Then the school sanitation
teams were formed in each cluster consisting of a minimum of 10 students from each govt. school. The
selection process was extremely rigorous as it included a series of events in which the students were
supposed to clear in order to make themselves eligible as a part of School San Team. The volunteers were
directed and trained to identify the best of the best students for this program. The list of the students is
available for our correspondence. These students will form the BVM school san team and they are our
mascots for this program. These students would be trained extensively in various aspects such as on
WATSAN rights, advocacy, presentation skills, coordination skills, WATSAN policies and child rights etc.
They also undertake cultural activities, environmental issues and literary events at the schools.

Representations

Rally/Dharnas

On the Occasion of World Toilet Day, a rally was conducted in every cluster i.e bholakpur. Rasoolpura and
Addagutta. The objective of the rally was to generate awareness on hygiene importance and to
demystify the misconception surrounding the toilet usage. The other major objective was to discourage
the open defecation practice in the children and the resident of the slum. The rally had a huge response
as it was one of the unique programme in itself. Majority of the media had covered this event.

Representations

On every Mondays, all the BVM members would ensure that they attend to the public grievance cell
known as prajavani conducted by the govt. statutory bodies like GHMC, Collector oce, HMWSSB etc.
This is a public platform where the common people would carry their grievances to the notice of the
govt. ocials directly. Hence, the BVM teams of each cluster would make their representations on the
specic identied issues of the respective basthis. This venue would provide the opportunity to the BVM
teams to confront with the ocials and get knowledge about the status of their submitted
representations and also help them to understand and plan their strategies on future course of action.

Representations

This is the prime approach which BVM always pursue with. Once the representations are submitted with
the concerned department, then a rigorous constant follow up is undertaken, until the issue is
addressed.

Events

World Toilet Day

On the eve of World Toilet day on 19th November and event was organised with the governmnet school
children in all the three project sites to facilitate awareness generation, sensitization and behavioural
change amongst the slum dwellers that are currently tiding against the issues of sanitation and hygiene.
A total of 400 children participated in this event of which 100 were primary school children from
Bholakpur, 200 primary and secondary school children from Rasoolpura and 100 children (mostly
primary) from Addagutta.
All the events took place simultaneously in the three areas. There were stalls on green toilets, cleaner
toilets where in people were showcased the idea of maintaining public toilets and children's involvement
was an added advantage.

Events

City level interface

Two key meeting were organised under this programme area to lunch Basti Vikas Manch in the other
slums of Hyderbad. The rst meeting was organised for Launching of the Basti Vikas Manch at Ambedkar
nagar, Uday nagar, Gouri Shankar nagar and Singari kunta at Banjara Hills. Since the meeting, the slums in
these areas have been actively engaging in the BVM work and regular representations have been
submitted to the Hyderabad Metro Water and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) for provision of drinking
water to community which was not supplied to the residents of the slum on a regular basis. All the event
of the BVM has been covered by both the leading local print and visual media and has provided with
good visibility for the BVM at the city level.

Ensuring Sustainability

Ensuring Sustainability

It is realized that Government's commitment and the various interventions and strategies may not be
adequate enough to deal with the issues in the long term, hence there is a need to activate the BVM by
creating a vibrant platform which can monitor water sanitation and hygiene situation on its own and
interface with the government to resolve their issues. To ensure the sustainability of the project, the
following eorts are being made.

Increased Citizen and Government interface for WASH infrastructure in the slums

Training the community on monitoring the drinking water quality and demanding the right to water
and sanitation.

Increasing the number of members in BVM and developing second line leadership.

Regular training for the BVM members on the upcoming policy and schemes and ways to leverage
support from private and public body.

SaciWATERs