To spread awareness about water and sanitation issues, emphasis has been given to Information, Education and Communication (IEC) under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). The IEC activities include spreading awareness through newspaper, radio, TV channels, wall painting, drama, announcement, Jatha, short show, pamphlet, poster, billboard, social media, etc.

Non-governmental organizations play a key role in the implementation of these missions, by providing Information, Education and Communication to the public. In addition to this, IEC activities are taken up for the effective implementation of the mission through various programs like home visits, awareness, indoor discussion, group discussion, indoor games, outdoor sports, meetings, singing, quiz, slogan, hiking, shramadana, jatha programs, marathon, lectures by village heads and religious leaders, etc.

Community Radio Services

The Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department knowing the importance of Community radios in rural areas, has empanelled several Community Radio Centers, which are:

• Antaravani Radio of Kalaburagi
• Venudhwani of Belgavi District
• Radio Manipal of Manipal
• Radio Sarang of Mangalore
• Radio Siddhartha of Tumkur
• Sarathi Jhalak of Bangalore Rural
• Janadhwani of Sargur
• Namma Dhwani of Kolar District
• Nammura Banuli of Hukkeri Taluk in Belagavi
• Krishi Community Radio centre of Agricultural University of Dharwad.

As part of the Information Education and Communication programme, water and sanitation related programs are being broadcasted at these community radio centers with an objective of raising public awareness. All these community radio centers are currently broadcasting information to around 1500 villages.

Wall Art:

Wall Art is an effective medium to bring awareness in the rural masses about the risks of open defecation, benefits of construction and usage of toilets, solid liquid waste management, smart usage of pure and safe drinking water etc.

Posters

Posters with information about construction & usage of toilets, solid liquid waste management, menstrual hygiene management, best hygienic practices and other related issues, help people to easily understand about water and sanitation issues.

Hoardings

Outdoor medium has been very effective in educating rural audience about water and sanitation. It aids them to share information among others and create awareness.

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)

PRA is a process of finding solutions to the local problems with the help of the local community, to make decisions related to the schemes and its implementation. This propagates the message “To the local community, from the local community and with the local community”.

Social Media

Rural Drinking Water & Sanitation Department has embraced the change in communication strategy happening across the world by implementing its own fleet of social media channels in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram along with its own website to create awareness and educate people/community about its schemes. On these channels, creatives are posted everyday either in the format of image or video. Our Facebook channel has around 127000+ followers, Twitter has 21800+ followers, Instagram has 11600+ followers and YouTube has 22800+ subscribers. The department has successfully incorporated Social Media in its IEC activities, as it has proven to be easier, faster and personalized way of connecting to the rural audience.