Project Sammaan was an urban sanitation initiative dedicated to redesigning and improving sanitation facilities for slum communities across India. The research design examines various aspects of sanitation and hygiene and community sanitation in India’s urban slums, specifically. The objective is to rethink the current models of sanitation facilities and design a new programmatic infrastructure and physical structure that instills a sense of dignity while addressing issues affecting sanitation practices in India and encouraging community members to stop defecating in the open.

The project planned to design, implement, and rigorously test a range of hardware and software innovations within shared sanitation facilities in urban slums in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in Odisha, India. The objective is to replicate these innovations in similar cities. Under this project, more than 39 community toilet blocks have been set up at identified sites.

The project is a unique innovation initiative due to the diversity of the organizations working on it: design firms, government bodies, empirical researchers, architectural firms, waste management experts, community engagement specialists, and an interface management team. Tarutium (formerly Taru) has been engaged in project management and has served as the key implementing partner. In addition to Tarutium, other partners in the project include Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, Cuttack Municipal Corporation, Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Abdul Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), National Building Construction Company, Centre for Advocacy & Research, Feedback Foundation, among others. The Gates Foundation supported the project.