Toilet construction
10,222 individual household low-cost latrines across 11 districts as reported in 2012–13, with 33 school toilets and 14 Anganwadi toilets in the Kuruvikulam block of Tirunelveli.
Sanitation & hygiene infrastructure
Individual household latrines, school and Anganwadi toilets, a rural sanitary mart and the hygiene education that keeps them all in use.
10,222
Household latrines, 2012–13 report
11
Districts covered
33
School toilets, Tirunelveli
Understanding
What sanitation & hygiene infrastructure means
What is sanitation & hygiene infrastructure?
Sanitation & hygiene infrastructure is the built foundation of community health — toilets, waste management systems and drainage facilities, plus the hygiene education that keeps them working — ensuring proper waste management, hygiene practices and disease prevention.
Coodu Trust’s sanitation work was built under the Total Sanitation Campaign: construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs), a rural sanitary mart supplying the hardware, village sanitary complexes for women, school and Anganwadi toilets, waste water and solid waste management, and the awareness generation that goes with them. The 2012–13 annual report puts the running total at 10,222 low-cost household latrines in 11 districts — the largest figure the reports state.
That running total is not stable across the reports, so the full picture is worth setting out. The 2005–06 report gives 10,023 IHHL for 2002–2006 (a figure that, on its own district table, includes 200 latrines still under construction and 33 school toilets); 2006–07 and 2008–09 both give 7,522 in 11 districts; 2013–14 gives 8,442 in 8 districts. Adding only the latrines the reports tie to a stated year gives 2,643 — 1,500 in Madurai, 265 at Thathaiyangarpet and 375 at Thuraiyur in Trichy and 151 at Devakottai in Sivagangai (2003–04), plus 352 in Karur (2007–08).
Beyond household latrines, the 2003–04 report records 33 school toilets and 14 Anganwadi toilets built in the Kuruvikulam block of Tirunelveli alongside 1,704 IHHL, and a rural sanitary mart run at the trust’s Mylampatti training centre and managed by trained women. More recently, school toilet complexes and urinals were built in Manur block with CSR support from ATC Tyres through United Way Mumbai. The trust’s earlier website also recorded 27 women’s sanitary complexes built across different districts; no annual report states that figure.
- Toilet construction
- Solid waste management
- Hygiene education
- Infrastructure maintenance
- Community mobilization
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Homes and schools without toilets
Where households, schools and public spaces lack sanitation facilities, disease spreads and dignified living is out of reach.
Our response
Build the facilities communities need
Individual household latrines across 11 districts under the Total Sanitation Campaign, plus 33 school toilets and 14 Anganwadi toilets in the Kuruvikulam block of Tirunelveli.
The challenge
Waste with nowhere safe to go
Without collection, segregation and treatment systems, household waste accumulates and degrades whole living environments.
Our response
End-to-end waste systems
Waste water and solid waste management have been part of the sanitation brief since 2003, and now run at city scale in Dindigul and at panchayat scale in Kancheepuram district.
The challenge
Infrastructure alone doesn't stop disease
Waterborne and sanitation-related diseases keep spreading where hygiene practices don't change alongside the facilities.
Our response
Education that changes behaviour
About 2,435 students in 32 schools across five districts reached in 2013–14, 325 students in four Dindigul panchayats in 2015–16, and 50 elected panchayat members of Salem district trained on clean environment and self-hygiene under Swachh Bharat.
The challenge
Facilities fail without upkeep and ownership
Sanitation infrastructure built without community ownership falls out of use once construction ends.
Our response
Community-owned, built to last
Panchayat water and sanitation committee members are trained in financial, construction, maintenance and monitoring procedures, and the rural sanitary mart keeps hardware available locally.
At a glance
The essentials
- Active since
- 2002The 2002–03 report records TSC toilets built in Madurai, Karur and Dindigul districts
- Household latrines
- 10,222 in 11 districtsAs reported in 2012–13. Other reports give 10,023 (2005–06), 7,522 (2006–07 and 2008–09) and 8,442 in 8 districts (2013–14)
- Key partners
- Government, municipal & CSRTotal Sanitation Campaign, Dindigul City Municipal Corporation, Renault P. Ltd and ATC Tyres through United Way Mumbai
- Project portfolio
- 7 programmes, 2002–2025Two currently running; the Total Sanitation Campaign work is history, not current delivery
- Currently delivering
- Solid waste managementDindigul City Municipal Corporation and, with Renault P. Ltd, Padappai Panchayat
- Delivery model
- Construction plus behavioural changeCommunity mobilisation, a rural sanitary mart for hardware, hygiene education and committee training
Track record
Project portfolio
| Programme | Period | Type | Highlights | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) | 2002–2014 | National scheme | Individual household latrines, a rural sanitary mart, school and Anganwadi toilets and hygiene awareness; 10,222 latrines in 11 districts reported in 2012–13 | Completed |
| Tsunami relief and rehabilitation | 2004–2006 | Key activity | Relief to Nagapattinam, Karaikal and Cuddalore, and a water and sanitation assessment with a UNICEF team across 57-odd temporary shelters in Nagapattinam | Completed |
| School sanitation & hygiene programmes | 2013–2019 | Key activity | 2,435 students in 32 schools across five districts (2013–14); 325 students in four Dindigul panchayats (2015–16); 200 students and teachers in five Trichy schools | Completed |
| Swachh Bharat — clean environment & self-hygiene training | 2015–2018 | National mission | 50 elected panchayat members of Salem district trained; restated in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 reports | Completed |
| School & village toilet construction (School and Village Adoption Programme) | 2022–2023 | CSR partnership | ATC Tyres through United Way Mumbai — toilet complexes and urinals at schools in Manur block and a village toilet complex at Aladipatti | Completed |
| Solid Waste Management programme (DCMC) | 2023–2025 | Municipal programme | 12 divisions of Dindigul city, 400 sanitary workers, 86 tonnes of waste a day | Ongoing |
| Solid waste management programme (CSR – Renault) | 2021–2024 | CSR partnership | ECOMIC composting machine erected at Padappai and Urapakkam panchayats, with village awareness and sanitary worker training | Completed |
Impact
What sanitation & hygiene infrastructure changes
Waste management
Collection, source segregation and scientific disposal now run at city scale for Dindigul City Municipal Corporation and at panchayat scale at Padappai, Kancheepuram district.
Hygiene education
About 2,435 students in 32 schools across five districts reached in 2013–14, and 325 more in four Dindigul panchayats in 2015–16.
Hardware within reach
A rural sanitary mart at the trust’s Mylampatti training centre, managed by trained women, supplies the hardware for toilet construction locally — and doubles as a women’s economic development activity.
Get involved
Support sanitation infrastructure
Help us build sanitation infrastructure and promote hygiene in more communities. Your support builds toilets, keeps waste management systems running and creates healthier living environments for the households that need them most.