Under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted ‘West Bengal Drinking Water Sector Improvement Project (WBDWSIP)’, SIGMA Foundation has been engaged to help the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Bankura to prepare and implement a detailed GESI Plan. This required an assessment of the various gender aspects of the WASH services, the barriers faced by women and ways for ensuring their empowered and effective participation in improving community level management of the project and maximizing their gains through better WASH services and availing the emerging livelihood opportunities.

The drudgery of women and the time they spend on WASH related activities have also been studied. This was done through a Time Use study, which has been a technique used since the early 1900s for getting comprehensive information and understanding on patterns of social life as revealed by the allocation of time among different activities. The study has been conducted through a questionnaire-based survey. The findings will help understanding various gender aspect of WASH services to provide useful input for better implementation of the project and enhancing wellbeing of women and the marginalized people.