From forests to backyards: learning of CLTS interventions in tribal district of Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, India

Preferring Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) for sustainable and large scale sanitation coverage across the nation, the Government of India (GOI) launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 aiming to make the country open defecation free (ODF) by October2, 2019.This paper attempts to understand the strategies, challenges and innovative solutions, key drivers triggering collective behaviour change and measures taken to ensure sustainability in hard to reach tribal district of Dantewada. Further it examines the experienced benefits of toilets from 102 first time toilet users belonging to ODF communities, who stopped defecating in forests and are now using toilets constructed at their own backyards. Qualitative data was collected through questionnaire and interviews which categorizes the benefits of toilets as experienced by these respondents. The key drivers of the successful CLTS implementation are shared along with the findings and learning.