Contribution of Community Based Water Supply and Sanitation Projecton 1-1 uman Development (A Case Study in Udugoda Water Supply and Sanitation Project)

Abstract

Human development is to expand the ability of enjoying a healthy life giving opportunity to acquire knov .. lcdgc and increase the access a higher life style. i\ water supply and sanitation f~Kility at a standard level is vital in human development in a community. According to the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, the main target is to minimize the population who could not have access good quality drinking water by year 2015 with the help of national level strategies of sustainable development. Conventionally, water supply project have been large scale capital intensive and mostly state sponsored "The community based water supply and sanitation project" is one such project implemented to provide optimum water supply and sanitary facilities of rural community of Sri Lanka. The structure of this project consists of a community activity. education programme, and sanitary programme. ;\ community based water supply and sanitation project is being operated at 351/ A. Udugoda Grama Niladhari Di\ision as one of the eighteen projects implemented by Attanagalle Divisional Secretariat Division. Udugoda village community has been experiencing a problem of shortage of water since the village is facing a scarcity of water even during a short dry season. They have been experiencing different health and sanitary needs when they were trying to satisfy these needs in informal ways. The objectives of this study was to identify the health and sanitary problems of rural people, to identify the quantitative and qualitative problems relating to supply of water , to study the project's contribution by giving sustainable water supply and sanitary facilities towards upgrading the healthiness of rural people. The methodology was purposive sampling and data were collected through questionnaires. interviews and observations. Building a community hall and conducting programme of good health and sanitary practices have been done under the community activity and the hygiene programmes respectively. Under sanitary progrmamc, toilets facilities arc supplied for the families who did not have toilet facilities and community based water supply programme supplied a sustainable tap water by using people's resources and creativity and transfer the ownership and maintenance of the water supply project to the people themselves. The project provided them with safe drinking water, which helps to reduce water borne diseases. This was the substantial contribution towards the human development.