In Full View: TV Drama Using the Power of Narratives to Bring Attention to Urban Sanitation in India

"My challenge to BBC Media Action was could we make faecal sludge management an issue that was entertaining to engage communities, so that they could take personal responsibility for what happens after they pull the flush." - Madhu Krishna, Deputy Director, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, Communities, India Country Office, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

This brief outlines the development and implementation of Navrangi Re! (Nine to a Shade), a television drama on urban sanitation that sought to build awareness and shift attitudes and practices around faecal sludge management (FSM) in India. The brief also shares the results of an evaluation showing how successful the programme was in using the power of narratives to bring attention to this critical, silent and complex social problem.

The 26-episode series was broadcast in India in 2019 and was the result of a partnership between a donor (the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), a commercial media network (Viacom18), an academic institution (Centre for Social & Behavior Change, Ashoka University), an evaluation partner (Oxford Policy Management), and a global media brand with social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) expertise (BBC Media Action).

The brief explains that only one-third of urban Indian homes are connected to sewer systems and that almost 38% rely on on-site sanitation structures such as septic tank and pits, which require the safe containment, disposal, and treatment of faecal waste, constituting the FSM value chain. The television show sought to address attitudes and behaviours around the maintenance of these on–site sanitation systems, which overflow when full, and to prevent indiscriminate dumping of untreated faecal sludge in empty plots, bodies of water, and drains.

The series revolved around a vibrant urban neighbourhood or mohalla, with different families reflecting different circumstances and attitudes around FSM. Insights from formative research on potential audiences allowed the show's characters and plot to reflect actual sanitation practices and their response to the statement "It is okay to wait to clean/empty the septic tank until it is full". About 22% were classified as proactive desludgers, whereas most (66%) were classified as reactive desludgers, who believe in desludging only when there is a backflow or overflow and they can't use the toilet. A full 11% were found to be connected to open drains. The formative research also made sure that characters reflected the real desires and values of people in India. In addition to this, Navrangi Re! made sure to include all the elements that one would expect from a prime-time drama: romance, humour, conflict, pathos, and villainy.

The brief outlines the theory of change behind the show, looking at how it helped provide a framework for content creation across all 26 episodes, with the objectives of:

• Increasing awareness about correct FSM practices;
• Heightening the sense of risk, even though the risk is largely unseen;
• Building a sense of urgency by making the threat personal
• Building individual efficacy - or strengthening the belief of every individual or household that they have a role to play and a personal responsibility; and
• Heightening the role of the collective community - building a sense of social disapproval for incorrect practices.

A discussion of the programme evaluation methods and results shows that in relation to audience reach, at the end of 13 weeks, Navrangi Re! had reached 59.6 million unique viewers, and it was viewed equally by men and women across all age bands. In the final endline sample for the evaluation, 17% of individuals had watched at least one episode of Navrangi Re! Of these, 55% had watched between one and three episodes, another 25% had watched four or five episodes, and the remaining 20% had watched six or more episodes.

In relation to engagement, almost half the viewers in the endline sample watched the full 30 minutes of the episode, 27% watched between 20 and 25 minutes, and another 27% watched 15 minutes or less. The evaluation showed that higher levels of exposure lead to higher cognitive elaboration, which was measured by looking at respondents' recall, respondents' ability to correctly identify the theme of the show, and the extent to which they attribute the show to teaching them new facts. Over two-thirds of the viewers recalled that the show was about sanitation, irrespective of the level of exposure. Data also showed that viewers of Navrangi Re! had learned something new about septic tank construction, septic tank desludging, and faecal sludge disposal - with cognitive elaboration increasing as the exposure increased. With the help of a table, the brief outlines the show's impact according to a list of theory of change outcomes. It shows that the intervention was significantly successful at:

• Promoting interpersonal communication in the form of conversations with friends, family, and neighbours (this was true across all parts of the FSM value chain);
• Creating awareness of the need to build a septic tank for insanitary toilet owners;
• Changing the belief around how often a septic tank should be desludged (at higher levels of exposure); and
• Raising risk perception about the indiscriminate disposal of faecal sludge.

The evaluation also showed that Navrangi Re! was significantly successful at promoting behavioural intent across sub-themes, including intent to hold neighbours to account for insanitary toilets, intent to ask the desludger where sludge will be disposed, and willingness to save for frequent desludging. In addition, Navrangi Re! encouraged people to want to take action: 37% of viewers said they intend to do something about their own faecal sludge management practices after watching the show, rising to 78% among those who had watched at least seven episodes.

As a final point, the brief highlights the importance of innovative partnerships between donors, private sector platforms, academia, research, and storytellers.

The video below formed part of a social media campaign, 'Flush ke Baad' (After Flushing), which ran alongside the TV series.