Fieldwork is an essential part of the Centre's research activities. Currently, fieldwork is carried out by TISS Mumbai Campus in different wards of Mumbai for WASH and Housing and Health related Projects. Collaborative research is also done with IIT Mumbai, Pani Haq Samiti, and M- Ward Project office. Fieldwork for the research on pesticide risk assessment is carried out in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. TISS Tuljapur campus carry out various outreach activities in the rural areas in relation to WASH programme. 

Field Action on WASH:

Both Mumbai and Tuljapur campus has been active in field action in the WASH sector. Some of the field action activities in both the campuses are mentioned below.

i) Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)

CLTS is one of the most potent weapons for achieving behavior change. It comprises of various tools for achieving sustainable behavior change in the community where it is performed. CLTS is an effective methodology for mobilizing communities to eradicate OD (open defecation), with their involvement and our team facilitation. The CLTS was performed at Kakramba, Undar Gaon and Khandala villages in Osmanabad.

ii) PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal)

PRA is intended to enable local communities to conduct their own analysis and to plan and act. concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse. PRA involves an individual to learn along with villagers about the village. The aim of PRA is to help strengthen the capacity of the villagers to plan, make decision, and to act towards improving their situation. The PRA was performed in Apsinga village where, transect walk, Social Mapping, Resource Mapping, household water uses and Seasonality was done.

iii)Swachh Campus Campaign

Initiated by Batch of 2018-19, the campaign is initiated for managing solid waste effectively with proper segregation and creating awareness amongst students regarding littering the premises in different ways. The activity involved observation by WASH students for identication of types of waste generated, current disposal and treatment facility and personnel involved for conducting the same and also the equipment and tools provided for safely performing these activities.

iv) ODF Survey

Different villages covered by students for survey related to Toilets and their construction under different schemes and weather the use of toilet is regular and to know the change in behavior, health and gender inequality and also knowing whether water component for toilet use is available and identify different types on-site systems.

v) Nukkad Natak (WASH in News)

A Nukkad Natak was conducted as part of IEC in Chikundra Village on 24 September 2018 where students portrayed the importance of having toilet facilities, the current social, cultural barriers due to which all women are not able to access the same, and also the ill effects on health due to open defecation. It also referred to the ways in which Fecal matter is injected in human body through different routes.

vii) Municipal solid waste Treatment Facility Tuljapur

As part of SLWM (solid liquid waste management) we had conducted field visit to te proposed facility for treating Municipal waste in Tuljapur and meeting people and personnel related to the same and getting to know the logistics, operation and maintenance of the same for continuous working of the treatment plant and also weather waste segregation is implemented at this level.

viii) M -Ward Project: TISS has been involved in carrying field action research in M-Ward, WASH is a major component of Field action project.