The Regional Centre For Urban & Environmental Studies (RCUES) Lucknow, in collaboration with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), conducted a two-day training programme on Gender, Equity, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in Sanitation on 21–22 July 2026 at the RCUES campus, Lucknow. The programme brought together 27 Executive Officers and Junior Engineers from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across Uttar Pradesh. It aimed to strengthen participants' capacities to apply a GEDSI lens in sanitation planning and service delivery. Abhilaasha Nagarajan (Consultant–Practice), Indian Institute for Human Settlements facilitated sessions on fiscal innovations such as gender budgeting; the intersections between gender-based violence and WASH; creating safe and inclusive workplaces, particularly for sanitation workers; and approaches to planning citywide inclusive sanitation. As part of the programme, participants also visited the CSC Airport Metro Station and the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) to gain practical insights into accessible urban infrastructure, universal accessibility features, gender-responsive public services, and digital governance systems that support inclusive service delivery. #InclusiveInfrastructure #GEDSI #Equity #SocialInclusion #WASH #UrbanPlanning #InfrastructureForAll

How can cities build inclusive WASH systems if the people and places they serve remain invisible? At #WASHathon2026, IIHS moderated a policy dialogue From Informal Settlements to City Systems. WASHathon 2026 was a two-day national event that combined an innovation hackathon and multi-stakeholder policy dialogues to develop and advance inclusive WASH solutions for waste picker communities by bridging the gap between informal settlements, workplaces, urban governance, and sustainable service delivery. At the WASHATHON 2026 – WASH Innovation for Waste Picker Communities: Bridging the Settlement–Workplace Gap by @wateraid in Bengaluru on 25-26 June, IIHS curated the policy dialogue From Informal Settlements to City Systems. Organised under @WaterAidIndia's Saamuhika Shakti initiative in Bengaluru, which brought together government, civil society, academia, the private sector, and waste picker communities to co-create inclusive, sustainable urban WASH solutions that improve living and working conditions for informal waste workers. Moderated by Niladri Chakraborti, Senior Lead- Practice, IIHS, the hour-long session centred around the key question- Why do cities repeatedly fail to deliver inclusive WASH services despite decades of experience, and what systemic changes are needed to integrate informal settlements and waste picker communities into citywide WASH governance, planning, and financing? Kesavan Nair, Kerala Solid Waste Management program, called for cities to "break the chain" by recognising waste pickers as essential urban service providers. Drawing on Kerala's experience, he proposed elevating the designation of waste pickers to the status accorded to street vendors, with formal identity, institutional recognition, and access to social protection. Anand Jagtap, former Officer on Special Duty, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, reminded us that there are "no 'one type' of slums," arguing that rigid legal definitions often hinder universal service delivery and that WASH concerns must be better integrated into city policy. Girija Ramakrishna, CDD Society, stressed that every settlement requires context-specific baseline assessments, continuous engagement with communities, and sustainable operation and maintenance models. Priya Nath, @WaterAidUK, urged participants to recognise that the challenge is not one of "overlooking" communities, but of systemic injustice, making gender and social inclusion central to the design of WASH interventions. The discussion reinforced a shared message: inclusive urban WASH is not simply about extending infrastructure—it is about transforming governance, recognising informal workers, and placing communities at the heart of planning and service delivery. #IIHS #WASHathon2026 #InclusiveCities #UrbanWASH #UrbanGovernance #WastePickers #GenderInclusion #JustCities

IIHS, leading the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP), organised a two-day training on ‘Occupational Safety and Health for Sanitation Workers Engaged in Septic Tanks Desludging’, in collaboration with the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department (MAWS), Government of Tamil Nadu, and the Regional Labour Institute (RLI), Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India. The programme brought together Sanitary Inspectors, Supervisors, and De-Sludging Operators from 20 Municipalities in the Chengalpattu region of Tamil Nadu. Sanitary Inspectors and Supervisors play a critical decision-making role in planning and implementing septic tank and sewer cleaning operations, activities that involve multiple workplace hazards, including confined space entry. The training forms part of TNUSSP’s decade-long engagement to strengthen occupational safety and health (OSH) practices in sanitation work. A total of 51 participants engaged in classroom sessions, field demonstrations, and simulation exercises to build a stronger understanding of occupational safety. Key themes included vehicle and site safety, hazardous process management, with particular emphasis on atmospheric gas measurement and confined space safety. Cross-cutting discussions addressed occupational and mental health, as well as safety communication. The sessions were delivered by a multidisciplinary technical team comprising representatives from the Regional Labour Institute; the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS), Government of Tamil Nadu; Fire and Rescue Services, Government of Tamil Nadu; and subject experts. Anamika Ramesh, I.A.S., Joint Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Government of Tamil Nadu, attended the closing session and encouraged participants to translate their learnings into safer on-ground practices. The sessions drew from a needs assessment study IIHS conducted in 2018 across two Indian cities, underscoring the importance of moving beyond Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ensuring sanitation workers’ participation in safety-related decision-making. In 2022, TNUSSP developed a First Aid Training Manual for De-sludging Workers focused on workplace emergency management and accident prevention. Since 2023, TNUSSP has worked with RLI and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Hygiene (DISH) to develop a comprehensive OSH Manual for sanitation workers engaged in de-sludging; the present training drew directly on these principles.

IIHS at the Regional Conference on Sustainable and Resilient Mountain Settlements in the Hindu Kush Himalaya Niladri Chakraborti (Senior Lead – Practice) participated in the Regional Conference on Sustainable and Resilient Mountain Settlements in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, jointly organised by the Royal Government of Bhutan, ICIMOD, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), India, held in Thimphu from 2–4 December 2025. The conference brought together governments, practitioners, researchers, and development partners to strengthen regional collaboration for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive mountain settlements. Discussions focused on nature-based and vernacular solutions, decentralised and circular WASH and sanitation systems, and data-driven planning approaches suited to fragile mountain ecosystems. Niladri was a panellist in the technical session on “Pathways for wider adoption and scaling-up of decentralised and nature-based systems to safely manage WASH.” He spoke about Tamil Nadu’s experience in scaling decentralised, nature-based WASH systems and in implementing City-Wide Inclusive Sanitation, highlighting their relevance for climate-vulnerable Himalayan contexts.

The IIHS–led Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) made a strong presence at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2025, contributing to global dialogues on water, sanitation, and inclusive urban service delivery. Represented by Sasikumar Eswaramurthy and N. Abhilaasha, the team engaged in a rich programme of knowledge exchange through three workshops, a panel discussion, a technical presentation, and a poster pitch, interacting with practitioners, researchers, and policymakers from across the world. These engagements helped position IIHS–TNUSSP’s practice-based learnings within global innovation pathways for sustainable urban sanitation, reaffirming our commitment to evidence-informed and collaborative solutions.

Join us tomorrow at the IWA Water and Development Congress for our workshop on Driving Disruptive Change in Public Toilets across Asia and Africa. 📅 Friday 12 December ⏰ 13:30 to 15:00 (GMT+7) 📍 Room MR10 C The session will explore practical strategies for improving sustainability, hygiene behaviour and long term performance in public toilet systems. Looking forward to an engaging discussion. #waterdevelopmentcongress

Join us tomorrow at the IWA Water and Development Congress for our session on Integrating Climate and Sanitation Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Solutions. 📅 Thursday 11 December ⏰ 16:30 to 17:00 (GMT+7) 📍 Room MR10 C The panel will discuss how India is advancing inclusive, resilient and climate aligned urban sanitation. It will highlight climate sanitation links, essential adaptation and resilience needs, and practical insights from policy, infrastructure and community practices. Looking forward to an engaging session. #waterdevelopmentcongress #UrbanSanitation #ClimateResilience #WASH #SustainableCities

Join us tomorrow at the IWA Water and Development Congress for our session on Decentralized Sanitation Innovations and Scalable Urban–Rural Wastewater Management. 📅 10 December 🕒 13:30–15:00 (GMT+7) 📍 Room MR109 (A+B) We’ll explore emerging technologies, circular sanitation solutions, and scalable models from across regions. Looking forward to meaningful discussions. #waterdevelopmentcongress

Join us this morning at the IWA Water and Development Congress! Our workshop on Effecting Improved Intermittent Water Supply begins at 10:30 AM (GMT+7) in Room MR109. Hear insights from India, Bangladesh, and beyond as we discuss strategies to strengthen IWS operations and guide the shift toward continuous water supply. See you at the session. #WaterDevelopmentCongress

Dive into five days of ideas, innovation, and real-world solutions shaping the future of water and sanitation. Join us in Bangkok as global experts come together to unpack challenges, share breakthroughs, and explore what it takes to build resilient, inclusive WASH systems for tomorrow. See you at the IWA Water and Development Congress 2025! 🗓️ 8–12 December 2025 📍 Bangkok, Thailand