Mr. Paresh Chhajed will present his BPS as per the details below:

Date: 21st Feb (Wednesday)

Time: 03:30 - 05:00 pm

Venue:  Ctara Conference room no. 1

Title: Scope and Challenges of Sanitation Planning in Small Indian Cities: The Case of Faecal Sludge Management

Supervisor: Prof. N. C. Narayanan

RPC: Prof. Satish B. Agnihotri and Prof. Subodh M. Wagle

Abstract:

Lack of access to safely managed sanitation (access to toilets and safe management of excreta and wastewater) is a challenge worldwide, especially in urban areas of the Global South. In some countries, as much as 95% of wastewater returns to the environment without any treatment. The sustainable development goals (SDGs) recognise safely managed sanitation as a goal (SDG 6) and a driver for the achievement of many other SDGs. As the world is not on track to meet the SDG sanitation targets, there is a realisation that we can no longer afford to wait for the conventional sewer system. Instead, non-conventional solutions need to be planned and implemented urgently at scale. With more than a thousand treatment plants at various stages of planning, faecal sludge management (FSM) as an non-conventional sanitation solution is gaining traction in India. The pace is phenomenal because the first faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) became operational only in late 2015. The development, however is uneven, with some states moving from piloting to scaling up while some others struggling.

Sanitation planning in the Global South has evolved from a narrow purely engineering pursuit to a broader, multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional endeavour. A review of the literature revealed the planning process to be influenced by numerous factors from both within and the broader environment and that act at the local to the global scale. The enabling environment for sanitation planning framework was developed based on a review of five frameworks developed by academics and practitioners working across multiple countries. It is employed for analysis at the national and sub-national levels to understand and analyse the practice of FSM planning.

This qualitative research evolved as the country witnessed a massive increase in the number of FSTPs and consequently, her ability to manage faecal waste.

To understand the status of and variations in FSM services across the country, shit flow diagram reports of 61 cities were reviewed. While the lack of treatment facilities is the major limitation, there are gaps across the entire service chain. Further, FSM planning is also hindered due to a lack of data on existing household level facilities. An analysis of various initiatives of the Government of India over the last decade and half revealed significant efforts to mainstream FSM as an alternative solution for excreta management. For the devolution of functions across the three levels of government, sub-national governments are required to plug the gaps and contribute to creating an enabling environment for the planning of FSM.

An analysis of extant sanitation infrastructure and practices in Alleppey Kerala revealed the need for treatment facility to be the biggest roadblock in providing FSM services. However, gaps were found across the FSM service chain. Yet, a treatment facility could not be implemented due to public resistance for locating treatment infrastructure, and the resultant lack of political will as the major bottleneck.  Officials refer to the public resistance as NIMBY (not in my backyard), which is problematic as it delegitimises genuine concerns arising from past failures of local governments in centralised management of waste. The case study also revealed the substantial support is needed from the state government to create an enabling environment for a city to plan sanitation.

On the contrary, more than 300 cities in Maharashtra have planned FSM with FSTPs already operational in more than 200 cities. Case studies of four cities revealed a systematic approach and consistent support from the Government of Maharashtra (GoM). Through the support of a partner specialising in strategy and technical know-how, GoM has provided technological guidance, made available financial resources, and arranged for continuous monitoring and follow-up with cities. Further, GoM’s directive to make space at existing landfill sites for FSTPs and a pre-approved type plan of FSTP that required cities to make only small adjustments increased the pace of implementation. GoM’s strategic partner has produced the guidance materials, conducted capacity development workshops and regularly follows-up with city government to track progress. City governments were also observed to be enthusiastic for the recognition received during Swachh Survekshan, the annual ranking exercise of the GoI. The study points to the larger role sanitation sector organisations and professionals are required to play to bring about improvements in delivery of sanitation services.

The BPS will focus on the literature review and analysis of the GoI's efforts to mainstream FSM. It will also discuss the structure of the thesis, gaps in the current version and a plan to complete the dissertation.