CLTS in cities is relatively new in the Indian context. Prior to Nanded there were only two reported cases of use of CLTS in an urban setting in India- Kalyani near Kolkata and Raigad in Maharashtra. But the Nanded experience is wider than both the earlier initiatives, as this is the first time in India that CLTS has been used on a city wide scale to cover all aspects of sanitation including: open defecation; solid waste management; drainage; water security etc.

CLTS in Nanded has been used to

• first to engage communities in data generation and knowledge sharing as inputs into the exercise for preparation of a city sanitation plan

• and then to mobilize various citizen groups across localities (such as housing societies and slums) and institutional set ups (such as schools, colleges, hospitals, hotels and markets) to be part of a people led movement for sanitation in the city.

This initiative goes beyond mere elimination of open defecation from the city to include safe disposal of domestic, industrial and commercial waste, keeping the city drains unclogged and clean, ensuring supply of safe water, and saying no to use of plastics.

The experience so far has been overwhelmingly encouraging with organized groups of women, school children, elected representatives and senior citizens coming forward as volunteers and champions to spearhead the movement of citizen led total sanitation in the city.

Read the story of urban CLTS in Nanded as told by Dr Nipun Vinayak, Municipal Commissioner of Nanded