Rural Sanitation Programme envisages promoting "Environmental Sanitation" as a package aiming to address the issues to reduce the probability of people's exposure to diseases and providing hygienic environment and taking measures to break the cycle of diseases by improved management of human, animal and domestic wastes.

1. hygienic management of human and animal excreta

2. safe disposal of waste water and storm water

3. safe disposal of garbage

4. safe handling of drinking water

5. domestic and food hygiene

6. personal hygiene including promotion of hand washing

7. village cleanliness

APHED has been involved in promoting demand responsive participatory sanitation programme as self-help programme without any subsidy with UNICEF support since 1993. Social marketing is adopted as the key strategy for promotion.

Promotion of sanitation as a package without any subsidy and developing alternate delivery mechanism initially piloted in Assam through UNICEF supported 'Intensive Sanitation Project in Kamrup District'. The strategy has been similar as followed in Medinipur district in West Bengal.

Capitalising on the lessons learned from pilot initiatives similar strategy has been replicated in more and more districts and because of good acceptability activities spread to sixteen districts out of twenty three districts of Assam.

Presently 50 Nos. of Sanitation Mart (SM) have been set up in sixteen districts with UNICEF support which are managed by NGOs. Setting up of more SMs through UNICEF support in other districts are in the pipe line. Through these SMs about 27,000 Improvised House Hold Latrines (IHHL) are being constructed annually without any subsidy.

A good number of options with cost ranging from Rs. 475.00 to Rs. 5000.00 per unit of latrine are being offered by the SMs. However, about 60% of the household units constructed so far are of the options below Rs. 500.00 without superstructure.

People movement for better sanitation has been taking shape and large numbers of latrine are also constructed by the individuals utilising outlets developed by individual initiatives

According to sample study conducted about 60% of the households of the rural Assam have been using latrines.

With UNICEF support and under CRSP upto 01.09.04, 3379 Nos. of school sanitation block have been constructed. The district wise break up of school sanitation blocks is as below: