Reeba Devaraj - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Reeba Devaraj

Research paper thumbnail of Gender and Social Inclusion Across the Sanitation Chain in Tamil Nadu – Assessment and Strategy

The Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) has prioritised the full sanitation chain, including the stre... more The Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) has prioritised the full sanitation chain, including the strengthening of septage management as an economical and sustainable complement to networkbased sewerage systems. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is supporting the GoTN to achieve the Sanitation Mission of Tamil Nadu through the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP). TNUSSP Phase I (2015-2018) was designed to support GoTN and selected cities in making improvements along the entire urban sanitation chain. In the second phase (2018– 2020), TNUSSP seeks to go one step further and integrate a gender and social inclusion (GSI) perspective within its interventions at two sites – the city of Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), and the two town panchayats (TPs) of Periyanaicken-Palayam (PNP) and Narasimhanaicken-Palayam (NNP) in Coimbatore district – along the urban sanitation cycle and in its support provided at the State level.

Research paper thumbnail of Planning fecal sludge management systems: Challenges observed in a small town in southern India

Planning fecal sludge management systems: Challenges observed in a small town in southern India

Journal of Environmental Management, 2021

Fecal Sludge Treatment or Septage Management is increasingly being recognised as an effective and... more Fecal Sludge Treatment or Septage Management is increasingly being recognised as an effective and appropriate method to scale urban sanitation systems to achieve safe sanitation, particularly in small towns and cities. As implementation progresses, data-based evidence is emerging, highlighting the challenges faced on the ground, and the requisite planning necessary to address them. This paper presents the findings, challenges and possible ways ahead from a study conducted to provide data for Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) planning for a small town in a state in southern India. With the objective of understanding the nature of containment structures and on-ground desludging practices, 8,001 households and 1,667 establishments were studied in Periyanaicken-Palayam (PNP), a non-sewered Town Panchayat in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, to provide evidence for effective decision-making. The study showed wide variations in the sizing and design of the containment systems, which, when comb...

Research paper thumbnail of WASH for all: A systematic review on physiological and sociological characterization framework segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects

WASH for all: A systematic review on physiological and sociological characterization framework segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects

Development Policy Review

Research paper thumbnail of Journal of Development Effectiveness Target segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects: a systematic review View supplementary material

Journal of Development Effectiveness Target segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects: a systematic review View supplementary material

Journal of Development Effectiveness, 2019

Despite several years of concentrated efforts to provide safe and improved water, sanitation and ... more Despite several years of concentrated efforts to provide safe and improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, progress towards universal access to WASH has been uneven. The problem is more acute in developing countries. Identification of target segments and proper understanding of barriers faced by these segments would have an important role to play in achieving universal access to WASH facilities. There are multiple ways of segmenting WASH beneficiaries: The conventional approach has been through geographical and social segmentation (such as urban, rural, poor and so on), however there is increasing advocacy for a life-cycle based approach that targets beneficiaries based on their gender, age and so on. This systematic review compares the trends in Life-Cycle Segmentation (LCS) vis-a-vis the Geographic and Social Segmentation (GSS) with the hypothesis that such an understanding would be helpful in achieving universal access to WASH. Drawing on policies, programmes and projects from 11 countries in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, it was found that in general, GSS has been the dominant approach to targeting population in WASH policy making and programming, though there were variations across regions and sectors. Incorporation of LCS would complement the GSS in improving effectiveness and equity of access to WASH interventions.

Research paper thumbnail of Gender and Social Inclusion Across the Sanitation Chain in Tamil Nadu – Assessment and Strategy

The Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) has prioritised the full sanitation chain, including the stre... more The Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) has prioritised the full sanitation chain, including the strengthening of septage management as an economical and sustainable complement to networkbased sewerage systems. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is supporting the GoTN to achieve the Sanitation Mission of Tamil Nadu through the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP). TNUSSP Phase I (2015-2018) was designed to support GoTN and selected cities in making improvements along the entire urban sanitation chain. In the second phase (2018– 2020), TNUSSP seeks to go one step further and integrate a gender and social inclusion (GSI) perspective within its interventions at two sites – the city of Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), and the two town panchayats (TPs) of Periyanaicken-Palayam (PNP) and Narasimhanaicken-Palayam (NNP) in Coimbatore district – along the urban sanitation cycle and in its support provided at the State level.

Research paper thumbnail of Planning fecal sludge management systems: Challenges observed in a small town in southern India

Planning fecal sludge management systems: Challenges observed in a small town in southern India

Journal of Environmental Management, 2021

Fecal Sludge Treatment or Septage Management is increasingly being recognised as an effective and... more Fecal Sludge Treatment or Septage Management is increasingly being recognised as an effective and appropriate method to scale urban sanitation systems to achieve safe sanitation, particularly in small towns and cities. As implementation progresses, data-based evidence is emerging, highlighting the challenges faced on the ground, and the requisite planning necessary to address them. This paper presents the findings, challenges and possible ways ahead from a study conducted to provide data for Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) planning for a small town in a state in southern India. With the objective of understanding the nature of containment structures and on-ground desludging practices, 8,001 households and 1,667 establishments were studied in Periyanaicken-Palayam (PNP), a non-sewered Town Panchayat in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, to provide evidence for effective decision-making. The study showed wide variations in the sizing and design of the containment systems, which, when comb...

Research paper thumbnail of WASH for all: A systematic review on physiological and sociological characterization framework segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects

WASH for all: A systematic review on physiological and sociological characterization framework segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects

Development Policy Review

Research paper thumbnail of Journal of Development Effectiveness Target segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects: a systematic review View supplementary material

Journal of Development Effectiveness Target segmentation in WASH policies, programmes and projects: a systematic review View supplementary material

Journal of Development Effectiveness, 2019

Despite several years of concentrated efforts to provide safe and improved water, sanitation and ... more Despite several years of concentrated efforts to provide safe and improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, progress towards universal access to WASH has been uneven. The problem is more acute in developing countries. Identification of target segments and proper understanding of barriers faced by these segments would have an important role to play in achieving universal access to WASH facilities. There are multiple ways of segmenting WASH beneficiaries: The conventional approach has been through geographical and social segmentation (such as urban, rural, poor and so on), however there is increasing advocacy for a life-cycle based approach that targets beneficiaries based on their gender, age and so on. This systematic review compares the trends in Life-Cycle Segmentation (LCS) vis-a-vis the Geographic and Social Segmentation (GSS) with the hypothesis that such an understanding would be helpful in achieving universal access to WASH. Drawing on policies, programmes and projects from 11 countries in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, it was found that in general, GSS has been the dominant approach to targeting population in WASH policy making and programming, though there were variations across regions and sectors. Incorporation of LCS would complement the GSS in improving effectiveness and equity of access to WASH interventions.