Mr. Paresh Chhajed will present his pre-synopsis as per the detail below:

Date: 12th September 2024

Time: 1730 – 1900 hrs.

Venue: Conference Room No.1, C-TARA office

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

Supervisor: Prof. N C Narayanan

RPC Members: Prof. Satish B. Agnihotri and Prof. Subodh 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 faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) at various stages of planning, faecal sludge management (FSM) as n non-conventional sanitation solution has gained significant traction in India. The pace is phenomenal considering the first FSTP became operational only in late 2015. The development, however, is not uniform, while some states have moved from piloting it in a few cities to scaling it up, others lag far behind. Sanitation planning is necessary to ensure goals are met in a time bound manner, with as less resources as possible and sustainability of services in the long run. In the Global South, the practice of sanitation planning has evolved from a narrow purely engineering pursuit to a broader, multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional endeavour. Recently, besides the interconnected nature of the components that constitute the sanitation service chain, the interconnections of sanitation with other urban development goals have been recognised. Further, the influence of the broader environment in which sanitation planning and service provision takes places has also become apparent. This has led to development of numerous integrated planning approaches and frameworks. A unified framework referred to as the enabling environment for sanitation planning framework was developed based on a comparative analysis of five such frameworks. These were developed by academics and practitioners working across multiple countries. The unified framework is employed for analysis at the national and sub-national levels to understand and analyse the practice of FSM planning in the country. This research began when there were only a handful of cities providing FSM services and therefore focused on understanding their scepticism and the challenges faced. Midway the widespread acceptance of FSM became apparent and understanding what facilitated it also became important. Further, the widespread use of shit flow diagram, a planning tool provided an opportunity to present a comprehensive picture of the FSM service chain. Questions to comprehensively understand the FSM planning practice thus emerged over the course of this research. Shit flow diagram reports of 61 cities were reviewed and analysed to understand the status of FSM service chain in the country, especially in small cities. Though limitations were observed across the service chain, the lack of treatment facilities was found to the most critical missing link as other components could not be worked upon in their absence. Further, the lack of information related to existing facilities at the household level and their practices also hindered FSM planning. An analysis of the numerous initiatives of the Union Government of India in the last couple of decades revealed a multidimensional effort to mainstream FSM as an alternative sanitation solution. It spans policy, legislations, organisations, monitoring, regulations, finance, knowledge management, and socio-cultural acceptance. The gaps in the support need to be plugged by sub-national governments to create an enabling environment for FSM planning. 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. Yet, despite years of efforts, it is yet to be implemented due to public resistance for locating treatment infrastructure in their vicinity, and the resultant lack of political will as the major bottleneck. The failures of centralised solid waste management across the state remain fresh in public memory. 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 other hand, more than 300 cities in Maharashtra have planned FSM with FSTPs already operational in more than 200 cities. An analysis of GoM’s initiatives revealed a systematic approach and consistent support from the State Government. Through support of the Centre for water and sanitation (CWAS) at CEPT University, that specialises in strategy and technical know-how, GoM has provided technological guidance, diverted ULBs 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 implement a pre-approved type-plan of a FSTP that requires 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. Besides highlighting the role of the state government in creating an enabling environment for cities to implement FSM, it also brings to the fore the significant role played by supporting organisations. The thesis suggests that sanitation planning, especially for non-conventional solutions is not only about the infrastructure and management arrangements, but also making small but significant changes to the numerous dimensions of enabling environment that are part of urban governance regime. Challenges for sanitation planning often lie in this broader environment and they thus should be included within the scope of sanitation planning