India’s journey to delivering sanitation services to its semi-urban and rural citizens has been a long and arduous one. Keystone is a dynamic player in working towards achieving this paramount sustainable development goal.
A colossal gap in the city’s centralised sewage management system was recognised quickly – sanitation workers on the outskirts of the city often had no choice but to dump sewage into barren or unoccupied lands and water bodies, unable to afford the long drive to sewage treatment plants in the heart of the city.
In 2015, Keystone came into the picture and soon enough, set up Tamil Nadu’s very first pilot project of a decentralised fecal sludge treatment plant in Periyanaickenpalayam, a vulnerable suburb of Coimbatore. Today, about 80% of the region’s sewage is prevented from being unethically dumped. About 30,000 litres of fecal sludge is treated at the plant daily, and this number is set to double with upcoming renovations. The government quickly recognised its potential and has planned 60 such projects across the state based on our model!
Our activities also deepen the impact of the Swachh Bharat campaign, going beyond building toilets to ensuring efficient infrastructure for sewage. This means attempting to prevent contamination of groundwater, appropriate treatment of sewage and combating workplace hazards for sanitation workers.
Our small, dedicated team in Coimbatore wears several other hats, working to bring menstrual health education and materials to schools, supporting women-led social enterprises and campaigning for focused protection measures for women sanitation workers.
