Subsidy or self-respect? Community-led total sanitation: an awesome opportunity and responsibility

This very brief discussion note for the SACOSAN conference in Dhaka 2003, describes the concept of community-led total sanitation (CLTS). It looks at the realities, vision and challenges of CLTS in improving the wellbeing for many rural and/or poor communities. It gives short comments on what has happened so far; benefits; how the technique has developed and briefly how it works; shifts from target driven partial sanitation (TDPS) to CLTS; non-negotiable principles for CTLS; scaling up of CTLS; and potential of CTLS for the future. The note also deals with some of the questions commonly asked regarding CTLS. community development, wastewater management, sanitation, sewage, hygien