COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

OBJECTIVES

 To make clear the role and power of a community in environmental management

 To understand the basics relating to community participation in environmental

management

 To study a few experiences of environmental management by the community

SYNOPSIS

1. Definition
2. Objectives
3. Levels
4. Methods
4.1 One Way Communication
4.2 Two Way Communication
5. Benefits
6. Problems
7. Case studies

There is a Tamil Proverb “Oor Koodi Ther Izhuttal Vandhu Serum” which means
that if a city, as a whole makes an effort, the result is definite. No man is an Island and
he/she has to always work as a community. It has been proved that the synergistic effort
of a community can be a very massive force and make a huge difference. This force of
the community is indeed the ultimate necessity for environmental protection. Community
Participation is essential for the management of our environment. It has been our culture
to leave the management of our precious environment to a very few of us and the
remaining huge majority staying away from it. Environmental Management will be in a
good state, only when the local community also plays a vital role in the same.

In this topic, we shall discuss about the objectives of community participation, the
levels, methods, pros and cons and finally close in with a few case studies.

1. DEFINITION

Before we go into details, we shall first define what Community and Community
Participation is
 A community refers to a group of people with diverse characteristics who are
linked by social ties, share common perspectives and engage in joint actions in a
geographical locations or settings.

It has to be underlined that the word community represents five core elements:
locus, sharing, action, ties, and diversity

Community participation occurs when a community organizes itself and takes

responsibility for managing its problems. Taking responsibility includes identifying the
problems, developing actions, putting them into place, and following through. Therefore
Community participation in the context of environmental management is nothing but a
stage where the community is involved to identify environmental problems, develop
action plans, implements the best plan and monitors the solution

Though that is the most clear and lucid definition of Community Participation, I
advise you all to write down the following definition that finds the favour of academicians

Community Participation is defined as a continuous two way process which

involves promoting full public understanding of processes and mechanisms through
which environmental problems are investigated and solved

Community Participation involves both information feed forward and feedback.

Feed forward is the process whereby information is communicated from public officials
to citizens concerning public policy. Feedback in this context is the communication of
information from citizens to public officials regarding public policy.

2. OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

The objectives behind the involving the local community in the environmental
management can be broadly grouped as below

(1) To identify problems, needs and other important values

(2) To provide critical information related to the problem
(3) To generate ideas to solve the existing problems
(4) To evaluate alternatives and pick the best option
(5) To resolve conflict by consensus
(6) To provide feedback and enable continuous action

3. LEVELS OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

At this stage, we have to make it very clear that there are two players involved in
the environmental management at a particular place. They are (1) local environment
authority and (2) community. The participation of both these people needs to be in
optimum quality and quantity to enable sound environmental management. The
participation of the community is normally allowed by the local environmental authority.

All the same, it would not be practicable to expect all communities to behave in a
same manner. Some communities may be knowledgeable and may easily get into the
process, some communities may be severely ignorant and it would not be easy to get
them into the process. Therefore it is necessary to classify the various levels of citizen
participation and restrict/enhance the participation of a community to a particular level.

There are lots of models developed to study the levels of community

participation. The environmentalists have studied the Rung Model by Arnstein developed
in 1969, Chess and Sandman model, the famous Castenson and Gustafasson model
etc. However I would like to follow the emerging Michael’s model or the 6CO Model that
analyses the levels of community participation

MODE OF TYPE OF PARTICIPATION CONTROL OF CONTROL

PARTICIPATION THE OF THE
AUTHORITY / COMMUNITY
AGENT
Co-opted Tokenism and/or manipulation; *****
Community representatives are chosen
but have no real power or input facility.
Cooperating Outsiders decide agenda and direct the **** *
process. Tasks are assigned to
community, with incentives.
Consulted Local opinions are sought. However *** **
Outsiders analyze data and decide on
course of action.
Collaborating Local people work together with outsiders ** ***
to determine priorities. Responsibility
remains with outsiders for directing the
process.
Co-learning Local people and outsiders share their * ****
knowledge to create new understanding
and work together to form action plans
with outside facilitation.
Collective Local people set the agenda and mobilize *****
Action to carry it out, utilizing outsiders, NOT as
initiators or facilitators, but as required by
local people.
Stars represent the level of participation in a scale of 1 to 5. Presence of 5 Stars
indicate the maximum participation while absence of star indicate the least participation

4. METHODS OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

 Once the level of community participation is fixed, the method by which the
community shall participate needs to be decided. There are lots of methods of
community participation, which can be listed as follows

4.1 ONE WAY COMMUNICATION

When the objective is only feed forward or only to inform the community (as in
Co-opted and Co-operating Levels), one way communication techniques like Print and
media advertisements may be followed.

Print Advertisements: This broad category includes all techniques where a well
prepared printed material relating to the particular environment management problem is
circulated to the community by various means. Their form may range from simple
notices placed on the notice boards, through leaflets and brochures to extensive
technical expert reports. The materials may also vary in character; they may be simple in
order to draw the public attention or complex containing a lot of technical details for
people with specialized knowledge. The major advantage of the circulating printed
materials is that it is very easy and can be easily modified to suit the level of the
community. However experiences show that the cost and proper placing of the printed
material should be carefully judged for an effective communication to the community.

The various techniques for print advertisements include (1) Leaflets, Books and
Inserts (2) Notice Board Displays (3) Bulletins (4) Brochures (5) Information Sheets and
Technical Materials (6) Posters (7) Materials sent by post (8) Expert Technical Reports
(9) Public Presentations and Exhibitions.

Media Advertisements: One way information is also made through the mass
media. We all know that mass media constituting newspapers, magazines, radio,
television, internet etc is a crucial component for informative activities. Though Mass
Media may account for better reach, easier understanding and cheaper communication,
there exists little control over the provision of information.

Media Advertisements includes the following (1) Press Releases (2)

Advertisements in Newspapers, Magazines, TV, Radio and Websites (3) Press
Conferences (4) TV and Radio Programmes (5) Interviews in any media (6) Creation
and Maintenance of Website (7) Announcements through talented vocalists in
autos/taxis.

4.2 TWO WAY COMMUNICATION

Communication is effective and complete only when it is a two way process. But
two way communication is only encouraged in developed countries and in a few
developing countries. The two way communication is applicable to the levels of
Consulted, Collaborative action, co learning and collective action. The major two way
communication techniques employed for community participation are listed below

Community Meeting: This exercise involves gathering of interested and diverse

people in the community and discussion of problems and solutions. The community
meetings are little informal and there is not much emphasis on records. This is broadly
intended as a confidence building or conflict resolution exercise

Community Hearing: Community Hearing is a more formal version of

community meeting. Here the size is very limited; only experts and knowledgeable
citizens are invited for participation. They are highly structured, and appropriate records
should be maintained carefully.

Seminars, Forums and Workshops: Seminars and Workshops on the particular

environmental problem is another important tool for two way communication. It is
effective in two means (1) it functions to inform people, clarify doubts and seeks solution
(2) it enables co-ordination with special interest groups, specific individuals and
segments representing the group. While seminars and workshops are organized by the
authority and participated by the community, forums are organized by the community
and participated by the authority.

Community Trips: Community Trips like field visits and excursions are
organized towards increasing the understanding and co-ordination with agencies enable
better understanding of the problem through practical demonstrations and interviews etc.
This is a method that has emerged off late, but it has proved to be very effective

Field Offices: The operation of special field offices for a particular environmental
issue in the locality of the community serves to establish a more or less specialized
communication between the agency and the public. In studies necessitating close local
contact and co-ordination, this approach may be used efficiently.

Hotlines: If somebody asks for information over the phone/mobile, administrative

bodies and agencies should be in a position to answer such a request. In the event of
public’s wide interest in an environmental management issue, it is advisable to set up
separate telephone line (called hotline) providing information services. The person
responsible for the line should have extensive knowledge on the issue as proper
communication skills. Both field offices and hotlines should be well advertised.

Charette: A Charette is a highly intense meeting oriented towards resolution or

results. It is a select group meeting with an exclusive purpose of reaching a decision or
resolving a conflict. A technique used very occasionally, the success of the Charette is
highly dependent upon the selected people and the leader of the Charette.
 These are the various methods of community participation. The selection of a
method of community participation for a particular environmental management issue is
very critical. It should be understood that there are a lot of techniques and well planned
community participation should involve the use of multiple techniques. The methods
should be chosen based on the objective of the participation, level of opted participation
and the stature of the community.

5. BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

As we have discussed, Community Participation is a process convened with the

benefit of the society in mind. The exercise of community participation is advantageous
to both the community and the agency/authority. The benefits of Community Participation
in environmental management can be grouped as the following

(1) SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: Community participation promotes shared

responsibility by service providers and the community members for
environmental management. When the responsibility is shared by the community
and the agency/authority fewer problems are identified, solutions are sought
more easier and therefore environmental management becomes an easier and
lovelier task.

(2) ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION: The major advantage of community participation is

that we strive towards a solution that is acceptable by one and all. Rather than
enforcing a solution, Community participation enables the acceptance of the
solution by the people and agency, which will promote goodwill and co-operation
towards environmental management. The records prove that getting the
community involved in program design and implementation ensures that
strategies are appropriate for and acceptable to the community and its youth.

(3) EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH: Youth are the future of our country. The youth are
strongly influenced by social, cultural, and economic factors. When the youth
benefit from improved knowledge about local problems or from increased skill in
environmental management, they can bring a huge transformation. Community
Participation has always empowered the youth, who in turn empower the
community.

(4) RESOURCE MOBILISATION: When the communities "own" environmental

management programs, they often mobilize resources that may not otherwise be
available. They can work together technically and financially to advocate for
better programs, services, and policies for youth.

(5) EFFICIENT DECISION MAKING: By enabling community participation, the

public’s knowledge and intellectual skills are put into account. This may lead to
 generation of new ideas, minimizing wrong solutions, better understanding of
problems and totally lead to an efficient decision.

6. PROBLEMS IN COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Apart from the benefits, Community participation also poses important

challenges. Deli Priscoli has classified the problems inherent in community participation
as below

1. Co-ordinating
2. Controlling
3. Representativeness
4. Dissonance

Co-ordinating: One of the most critical problems in our country today is the
relationship between government agencies and the community, and between
government agencies themselves. The general relationship between a community and a
government agency is not prospective. Therefore it is a tough task to ask the people to
co-ordinate with the Government. In our federal set up, projects and policies are planned
by one agency/authority, designed by the second agency/authority, mobilized by the
third, implemented by the next and monitored by another. As a consequence of this mix
up of agencies, many programmes tend to be developed and they degrade the
participation. Co-ordinating within the agencies and with the people has always been a
huge problem.

Controlling: When a Government agency deals with a community policy issue, its
responsibility is to find and assure the Government interest. Such interest leads to the
centralized control through regulations, licensing, funding, implementing etc. However
the idea of community participation in itself is a decentralization concept. Therefore
tension always exists between the centralized needs of the authority and the
decentralized needs of the people and it is difficult to control these conflicting concepts

Representativeness: One of the most frequent challenges in a community

participation programme is the selction of a proper representative of the community. The
citizens who get involved in a community participation programme are not the
representative of the majority, but they are rather elite/knowledgeable citizens. This is a
very serious problem that makes conflict resolution/ decision making a tougher process.
In this category, the selection of a fee people and denial of the rights of a few people to
participate may also lead to unwanted politics and friction.

Dissonance: One of the factors for government agencies is the conflict between
political and technical interests in decision making. The excessive use of technical
factors to justify political discussions was the reason behind the emphasis of citizen
involvement. In few areas, it was noticed that community participation only increases the
tensions of technical and political considerations. When the technical decisions favour
against the community considerations, then the whole process seems to be stupid and
tension is created in the community

7. CASE STUDIES

In the last decade or so, Community Participation has become an essential

practice all over the world. In India, there have been a lot of examples for community
participation in environmental management. In this context, it would be appropriate to
mention two important case studies of community participation in environmental
management. Both the cases are from Tamil Nadu. The first case study is about Project
Siruthuli (classified as Collective Action level of community participation), a peoples
initiative in Coimbatore for revival of tanks and solid waste management. The second
case study is also based on the Collective Action happened in the place of Thiruchuzhi
in Virudhunagar.

These case studies are provided for the student to apply the theoretical
knowledge on this subject and to evaluate the present status. The student is advised to
make a mention of these case studies while explaining the topic, which will be an added
advantage.

WATER WOES: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THIRUCHUZHI'S SOLVES IT

ALL, SAM DANIEL, NDTV, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2004 (VIRUDHNAGAR)

While thousands of villages in the country are still without access to potable drinking water,
people in a Tamil Nadu village have shown how community participation can help to bring
drinking water to their doorsteps. The residents of Thiruchuzhi village, in the drought-prone
Virudhnagar district of Tamil Nadu, used to walk four kilometres for a pot of drinking water. But
now it is available in plenty right at their doorsteps. A community participation project of the
central government has helped to bring about this change. The project, which cost Rs 37 lakh,
has brought water to the village from a source a few kilometres away. The villagers contributed
ten percent of the total cost. "We had to go two to four kilometres to get drinking water. Now it is
in front of our house," said a local."As people have contributed money now they look after the
pipeline well," said another resident. The village people own the project and a committee looks
after its operation and maintenance. They collect a monthly fee of thirty rupees. While three
lakh rupees has been saved in the past one year, it's a major relief for the district administration
which is now encouraging other villages to follow the example set by Thiruchuzhi village."If they
take initiative and allot a small amount then we will come forward. The government and
administration is playing the role of an initiator, motivator and provider," said Mohammad Islam,
Collector, Virudhnagar.The people of Thiruchuzhi have shown how community participation
could do wonders in fulfilling basic requirements. While these people will not have to depend on
the government for their drinking water needs any longer, they will also ensure that every rupee
they contribute for drinking water would be spent just for that.
REVIVING THE TANKS, ASHA KRISHNAMUKAR, THE FRONTLINE, January, 17 -31,
2004, Coimbatore

PROJECT SIRUTHULI, pioneered by a group of corporate houses in Coimbatore, aims at

conserving and storing water to tide over the scarcity condition that is threatening to become
acute. Not only did the southwest monsoon precipitation drop from 700 mm to 400 mm, but the
storage tanks and the main waterways are heavily silted. The nine tanks around Coimbatore,
which used to irrigate 7,500 acres (3,000 hectares) and recharge groundwater over centuries,
are in various stages of neglect; many have become garbage and sewage dumps. The tanks
and their bunds have been encroached upon, and in some places even concrete buildings have
come up. The government also has a hand in the neglect of tanks. A public lavatory has been
built on Selvanpatti tank, an electricity sub-station has encroached on the Valangulam tank and
bus stands have come up in some others.

To take the water problem head-on, a trust called Siruthuli, meaning little drops, was registered
in June 2003. Its founder-trustees include S.V. Balasubramaniam, chairman (chairman and
managing director, Bannari Amman Sugars Ltd.), Vanitha Mohan, managing trustee (executive
director, Premier Instruments & Controls Ltd.), Dr. R.V. Ramani, trustee (managing trustee, Sri
Sankara Eye Society), Ravi Sam, trustee (director, LMW group of companies) and Arathi
Varadaraj, trustee (vice-president-orgn.devpt., ELGI Equipments Ltd.)

According to S.V. Balasubramaniam, the groundwater level has been depleting rapidly, leading
to an acute water shortage throughout the year. Agricultural activity has almost come to a
standstill. Lakhs of coconut trees have withered away. Therefore the urgent need is to revive
the water storage and harvesting facilities. According to the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), in the 1980s Coimbatore's groundwater depletion was the fastest in the
world. Though the district was declared drought-prone as early as the 1970s and borewells
were banned, Coimbatore has the distinction of being the district with the highest number of
borewells in the country. Every day, an average of 1,000 tonnes of garbage is generated in
Coimbatore city and it is dumped in the tanks, making them unfit for water storage. Therefore,
according to Vanitha Mohan, some of the industrialists decided to strengthen the arms of the
government by creating awareness among the people and educating them on the right garbage
disposal methods. The trust is working out better solid waste management practices with the
help of experts.

Increased flow of sewage into the drainage system has led to the release of sewage water into
the tanks. Heavy encroachment along and on the tank bunds also leads to the pollution of the
tanks. For instance, Sanganoor Pallam, one of the arterial canals carrying rainwater from the
Western Ghats into the tanks in the city, has become a sewage drain. During the monsoon,
rainwater mixes with sewage and inundates low-lying residential areas. The primary aim of
Project Siruthuli is to keep the canals and tanks free of sewage water. Hence sewage water
treatment methods are being worked out. Since June 2003, Siruthuli has completed work on
four tanks encompassing 294 acres, which can now hold 866.5 million cubic metres of water.
Among the tanks completed are the Krishnampathy, Selvampathy, Kumarasamy and
Narasampathy and work is on in two tanks - Valankulam and Selva Chintamani Kulam. Project
Siruthuli has been successful partly because it has been implemented in collaboration with
District Collector N. Muruganandam and Corporation Commissioner D. Karthikeyan, apart from
local bodies, officials such as the Revenue Divisional Officers and Tahsildars, and local
residents. The encroachers were also involved after being convinced about the benefits of the
project.

According to Vanitha Mohan, awareness campaigns, including a children's rally, and information
dissemination during the Aadi Perukku festival, where over 10,000 people gathered, have made
Siruthuli a "people's movement". An exercise of developing riparian forests along the banks of
the Noyyal river and connecting canals from the river to the tanks is also under way. According
to Balasubramaniam, corporates can go only thus far. A project of this size and magnitude
requires a great deal of money. Though the seed capital came from the industries run by the
trustees, public contribution in cash and kind (earthmoving equipment and service vehicles) has
been encouraging. "Yet," says Vanitha Mohan, "this is not enough to take the project to its
logical conclusion. The government has to help us, particularly with sewage treatment."

The EIA process has made the Public/Community Participation a mandatory one.
However the community participation in environmental management is not related to EIA
alone. The community participation for our environmental management should not be
initiated by the Government and supported by the people (as in EIA). In sharp contrast, it
should be initiated by the people and supported by the Government. It was in that idea
that this topic was discussed extensively and case studies pertaining to the latter have
been mentioned.