With the grace of God on 12 August 2006 at the completion of first phase of ASB Training Center building, an inauguration ceremony and one day orientation workshop on “division of responsibilities in infrastructure and Social development” was organized by ASB which was chaired by Mr. Muhammad Shahbaz Director Local Government and Rural development province Punjab Lahore and Mr. Fayyaz Baqir Advisor UNDP Islamabad was chief guests who inaugurated newly constructed building with there own kind hands which was attended by Project Coordinator, MERD Coordinator & HRD Coordinator LPP along with forty Associate Engineers civil technology from South Punjab under training on community owned Rural Sanitation organized by Lodhran Pilot Project (LPP) being held at Lodhran. This training was a major component of Participatory Rural Sanitation in Southern Punjab sponsored by Japan Social Development Fund awarded by The World Bank being implemented by LPP. After inauguration ceremony and dua Mr. Nazir Ahmed Wattoo Team Coordinator Anjuman Samaji Behbood (ASB) Faisalabad made a brief presentation on “division of responsibilities in infrastructure and Social development”. First of all he criticized the late arrival of LPP team and cautioned them as the first learning from one day training workshop. He highlighted the role and importance of community to ensure sustainable development.
He said that The Devolution of power plan strives for partnership between Govt. and community at grass root level. ASB,s division of responsibilities development model that evolved in the Sanitation and water supply programme demonstrates this partnership and offers a way out of complex procedures which required in the cost-sharing model. It also clearly defines the area of responsibility of the Govt., household, the lane, neighborhood and ensures their continued involvement in the O&M of the system at the micro level. Funds with local government are limited consequently the division of responsibilities Model guarantees the sharing of financial and human resources from both the parties (Govt. & Community).
He added that the delivery of infrastructure is expensive because the contractor’s profit and leakage in Government resources, which can rectify through division of responsibilities. Govt. can not develop all areas in its short ruling period. In this situation communities are suffering adversely and their major problems are water & Sanitation. The waste Water which not only affect the foundation of houses but also pave the way to spread diseases. It pollutes under ground safe drinking Water reservoirs that subsequently enriching the root cause of degrading environment which is the main grounds of the vicious circle of poverty. The poor people cannot get out of it until and unless they are provided support to have a under ground sewerage system at lane level. He justified that the people have resources but they just need technical assistance and guidance in right direction.
He claimed that a Research Showed that in the last century (100 years) only one million People (1,000,000) died as a result of war but in only last 50 years Four Million People (4,000,000) died due to poor Sanitation. This is because only 40% Waste Water flows in to the open drains and 60% evaporated or seeped causing the water born diseases. These diseases are more than 70% of the entire illness of our society. He suggested that the only solution is mobilizing and organizing the communities to construct their own Water and Sanitation infrastructure on division of responsibilities bases where people and govt. work as partners on two levels of development.
Community will take Responsibility by constructing In - house latrines connected with street Sewer through T- Hodi and street Sewer connected with Secondary or Collector Sewer. These contribute 70% of total project cost and people have shown that this level can be self- financed, self-managed and self-maintained.
Govt. or donors Responsibility To provide funds for the Construction of trunk sewers (Secondary) lines, Disposal system and treatment plants etc which is only 30% of the total project cost. This Division of Responsibility approach
creates sense of ownership and Dignity in Communities, Reduces responsibilities of Government, ensures financial and human resources involvement of all stakeholders in O & M. He said ASB believes that poor people must help themselves instead of waiting for government Promises of next budget. He further quoted that “God helps those who help themselves” and invited the Community representatives to come forward and broke the barriers and bridge the gap between govt. and communities to solve common issues on self- help basis and educate them about good practices to maximize the benefits of govt. services which could reduce the blames heaped upon each other. He formulated that by bringing change in user habits, regarding payment of utility bills that led to increased govt. revenue, and become a trusted common friend between the community and the govt. due to playing mediation role. He advised the civil society Organizations to work as a teacher not as contractor to provide information and technical support to the communities for building self-managed; self financed and self-maintained their own infrastructure (water & sanitation) without waiting for grants by adopting division of responsibilities approach.
He assured that the target of total sanitation can be achieved through mobilizing all the residents of the lane to construct in house latrines, connecting with lane sewers and close the open drains. In this regard all the Inhabitants have to pay their share to make the sense of ownership and to maintain the dignity. He laid stress on the conceptual clarity that the sustainability couldn’t come with out strengthening the Sense of owner ship, which would come out through Flexible modes of management and change in policy and Division of responsibilities is the only solution. In this way Government can reduce Tax net and pace of development will be increase accordingly.
He said that Critical Issue is “Waste of resources rather then lack o resources” and the major cause of inappropriate projects is the absence of documented existing physical and social infrastructure maps, which causes, corruption, inflated costs and severe problems of operation and maintenance, so one cannot develop correct social profile of human settlements that are necessary for assess the assets, developing revenues, planning and providing for social sector facilities. In absence of adequate Mapping all planning is done on ad-hoc base and Government officials are reluctant to adopt new concepts due to binding of government policies. There are many parallel practices for infrastructure development and lack of coordination between them. Uniformity of the policies is required for all type of similar Institutions working for infrastructure development in government and non-government sectors. There should be one development policy based on the Division of Responsibilities concept. He added that conflicting policies have confused the communities by making development difficult. At the operational level, the financial input of the community ultimately determines its continued involvement in the O&M. Smaller communities are more cohesive and responsive to such combined efforts if mobilize properly. He concluded that there is a need for decentralization in terms of scale and acceptance of appropriate technologies. The role of Government & donors should be to fund external development only and support to those Communities involved in the division of responsibilities development Model.
He said Leakage in Govt. resources, Lake of data based Infrastructure documented maps and Conflicting policies of the Government are a big barrier in development. He continued further that People are poor because they are treated as poor. Proper information, technical and managerial guidance to their resources can solve the problems. The Community participation is not a problem. Government and professionals participation is needed in people’s work and the Community initiatives need to be respected, accepted and supported by professionals and Government.
He pointed out that the Government is dis empowered due to its dependency on International Financial Institutions, Consultants and Contractors. Informally poor people are paying all the time to the Government. If this money is channeled into development, the financial constraints can be overcome.
He concluded that ASB learnt a lesson that People have resources but they just require Trust, Knowledge, Skill, Awareness, Training and Mobilization which make them independent and empowered. This is Real and Sustainable Development which changes their living conditions.
Later on Mr. Najeeb Aslam Project Coordinator LPP brief and shared the progress of all the project activities. Mr. Fayyaz Baqir from UNDP expressed his views about the low cost Rural Sanitation Model of ASB & LPP. Mr. Fayyaz Baqir appreciated the initiative of rural sanitation implemented ever in the development history of Pakistan. He added that this innovative initiative paved the way to explore the opportunities of rural sanitation in remote areas of Punjab which is coinciding the requirements of MDGs. Col.(Rtd) Muhammad Shahbaz, Director General Local Govt & Rural Development Punjab in his address said that young engineers are lucky enough that before starting professional career they have got such valuable training while all of us could not have availed such opportunities. He added that there is much difference between field engineer and a social engineer and if you started your career in the Govt sector even then you should adopt the process of social mobilization, which is a key of success to serve the nation. He advised to provide directory of these trainee engineers to all the provincial departments including LG&RD department so that these trained engineers may be adjusted on priority basis He admired the financial and social services of ASB & LPP to improve the sanitation status of unprivileged community of Punjab.
Later on a detailed field visit and community meeting was conducted by the trainee engineers and by the end of this visit a question & answer session was conducted by Mr.Nazir Ahmed Wattoo Team Coordinator ASB