Beyond Pilot Projects in Orangi
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Resource Box Beyond Pilot Projects In Orangi Orangi is a low-income settlement explained the benefits of improved extending over 10,000 acres (or 4160 sanitation and offered technical assistance. hectares) with some 1.2 million inhabitants. Where agreement was reached The informal settlement began among the households in a lane, they in 1965, and now most of the 113 elected their own leader who formally settlements within Orangi have been applied for technical help. Their site accepted by the government, and land was surveyed, plans drawn up and titles have been granted. Most inhabitants cost estimates prepared. Local leaders built their own houses and none kept their groups informed and received official help in doing so. There collected money to pay for the work. was no public provision for sanitation The laying of sewers then proceeded, as the settlement developed; most and the maintenance was also organized people used bucket latrines, which by local groups. were emptied every few days, usually onto the unpaved lanes running OPP’s research concentrated on between the houses. More affluent whether the cost of sanitary latrines households constructed toilets and sewerage lines could be lowered to connected to soakpits, but these the point at which poor households soakpits filled up after a few years. could afford to pay for them. Simplified Some households living near creeks designs and standardized steel moulds constructed sewerage lines which reduced the cost of sanitary latrines emptied into the creeks. The effort of and manholes to less than one-quarter getting local government agencies to of the contractors’ rates. The cost of lay sewerage lines in Orangi was too the sewerage line was also greatly much for local residents, who felt that reduced by eliminating the profits of these should be provided free. the contractor. The average cost of the small-bore sewer system is no more A local organization called the than US$30 per house. Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), established in 1980 by Dr Akhtar Hameed Technological and financial Khan, was sure that if local residents innovations were the easy part. The were fully involved, a cheaper, more difficult part was convincing residents appropriate sanitation system could that they could and should invest in be installed. Research undertaken by their own infrastructure, and changing OPP staff showed that the inhabitants the nature of local organizations were aware of the consequences of so that they responded to these poor sanitation for their health and needs. OPP staff had to wait for six their property, but they could not months before the inhabitants of one afford conventional systems, and they lane were prepared to organize did not have the technical or organizational themselves to develop their own skills to use alternative options. sewage system. Gradually, the OPP organized meetings in lanes that residents of other lanes, after seeing comprised 20–25 adjacent houses, the results achieved, also sought Women were very active in local • OPP’s assistance. There were groups; many were elected group problems in some lanes, and money leaders and it was often women who sometimes went missing or proved to found the funds to pay for the sewers be insufficient. In general, OPP staff out of household budgets. stood back from these issues (once OPP understood the need to simultaneously they had persuaded the first communities improve technical, financial to begin). Once a lane had and organizational options. At the ensured that the finance was available, beginning, it was established to they would provide technical provide a pilot scheme for the government. assistance only. The first challenge Its experience taught it that the was one that the communities had to government generally had little interest realize by themselves. in what it was trying to do. But as local residents became more interested The scope of the sewer construction and involved, so too did their elected programme grew as more local representatives, who now found that groups approached OPP for technical they were dealing with people who assistance and the local authorities had a good understanding of infrastructure began to develop the mains into which investments. There are now the sewers could be integrated. The many project-level agreements concept of component-sharing between OPP, local communities and between people and government state agencies. In all of these settlements, evolved. The inhabitants could the state is doing much more finance, manage and maintain the than it was before, although it is construction of latrines, lane sewers working within a model of sanitation and small secondary sewers (known that has reduced its responsibilities. as internal development), and the The programme is now being government could take responsibility replicated in eight cities in Pakistan for financing, managing and maintaining by local NGOs, CBOs and local governments, the large secondary sewers, trunk and in 49 other settlements in sewers and treatment plants (know as Karachi by local governments and the external development). To date, nearly government agency responsible for 6000 lanes have developed their own upgrading the informal settlements, sewer systems linked to sanitary the Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority. pour-flush latrines serving over 90,000 housing units, using their own Source: Hasan, Arif (1997), Working with funds (the equivalent of around Government: The Story of OPP’s Collaboration US$1.4 million) and under their own with State Agencies for Replicating its Low Cost management. One indication of the Sanitation Programme, City Press, Karachi, 269 appropriateness of the model developed pages; Orangi Pilot Project - Research and Training Institute (2002), Katchi Abadis of by OPP is the fact that many Karachi: Documentation of Sewerage, Water Supply lanes have organized and undertaken Lines, Clinics, Schools and Thallas, Volume One: lane sewerage investments independently The First Hundred Katchi Abadis Surveyed, Orangi of OPP; another is the Pilot Project, Karachi, 507 pages. households’ willingness to make the For further information, please contact: Mr. Sharad investments needed in maintenance. Shankardass, Spokesperson, or Ms. Zahra Hassan, Press & The main reason why low-income Media Liaison, Press & Media Relations Unit, Tel: (254 2) households could afford this is that 623153/623151, Fax: (254 2) 624060, E-mail: the work cost one-sixth of what it [email protected], Website: www.unhabitat.org would have cost if it had been undertaken by the state. .