Join a two-day learning exchange visit led by CREA, the Odisha Urban Academy (OUA), EY, the Urban Management Centre (UMC), Janaagraha, the e-Government Foundation, and CFAR. The visit brings together ten civil society organisations from across India to explore Odisha’s pioneering urban sanitation model, showcasing inclusion, innovation, and community-led governance in practice.
Organising partners
Key highlights
- Odisha’s model integrates gender, intersectionality, and inclusion of marginalised groups such as women’s SHGs and transgender persons in urban sanitation work, challenging stigma and creating livelihoods.
- Strong political commitment, community participation, and continuous capacity-building have made decentralised, community-led sanitation both sustainable and scalable, with over 110 faecal sludge treatment plants managed by SHGs and transgender groups.
- Digital platforms such as the SUJOG app enhance transparency and efficiency by monitoring sanitation operations and desludging services, empowering women and community partners.
- Schemes such as Garima have elevated sanitation workers’ welfare through safety gear, insurance, better wages, and social protection measures.
- Slum upgrading through community-driven governance, led by Slum Dwellers Associations (SDAs), has improved infrastructure, strengthened women’s leadership, and enhanced living conditions in informal settlements.
