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CHENNAI: The State Government has been working towards ensuring inclusive urban sanitation practices and in order to study the same, a delegation of sanitation professionals from seven African countries toured parts of Tamil Nadu from February 9-16, 2023.

The team studied the sanitation model being implemented in urban locations of the State and they will be replicating the same system in their local context. Based on the same, the Indian Institute for Human Settlements led Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) organised a panel discussion on “Just Sanitation for all: Insights from Indian and African Cities” on Thursday.

“We see that the sanitation practices are a priority in the urban settings here. We have seen that the sanitation model is very sophisticated and holistic here. India is investing in full cycle of sanitation,” said Daniel Mukeba, Director of the Institute superieur d’etudes commericales et financieres a Bukavu.

As part of the programme, delegates were given orientation on the principles of Citywide Inclusive Sanitation and the team visited improved community toilets. They studied the scaling and institutionalising of fecal sludge management, visited treatment and containment facilities and also interacted with government officers, sanitation workers and other groups working in the sanitation sector.

Braima Koroma from the Sierra Leone Urban Research Center, Freetown, Sierra Leone, said that the infrastructure in the cities of Tamil Nadu has been planned and designed to accommodate future needs as the cities were planned. He also noted that in Tamil Nadu, the team observed strategic infrastructure planning with sustainable operation and maintenance models and participation of women in this sector is noteworthy.