ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY-LED TOTAL SANITATION (CLTS) PROGRAMME ON RURAL SANITATION IN WA WEST DISTRICT

Abstract

To improve the sanitation of rural communities, a new programme aimed at improving rural sanitation -Community-Led Total sanitation (CLTS) - was introduced in Bangladesh, contributing significantly to reducing poor sanitation in that country. The programme represents a radical alternative to conventional top-down models of improving sanitation and offers hope of achieving the MDG 7. In recent years, the impact of the Community led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach has drawn significant attention. CLTS is being implemented in some selected districts of the Upper West Region including the Wa West District. The main objective of this research was to assess the viability of CLTS for promoting rural sanitation in the Wa West District. The researcher used questionnaire and observation among other tools to conduct a household survey to ascertain the contribution of CLTS to rural sanitation in the District. In general, the study has ascertained that the implementation of CLTS in the District has helped increased household toilet coverage and usage. This study also found out that the CLTS has helped raise the residents' level of awareness on safe sanitation practices, public health and other hygiene issues in the District. The study recommends that the CLTS facilitation in the District should be broadened to intensify campaigns on other hygiene issues such as solid and liquid waste, mobilizing community members into savings and loans group to enable them save to build latrines that are more sustainable whiles encouraging the use of existing formal and informal community structures in the communities to enable community members to play a more active role in CLTS.