Report on Workshops on Making Cities ODF ++ (Fecal Sludge And

Report on Workshops on Making cities ODF ++ (Fecal Sludge and Septage Management) Workshop Report August-September, 2018 Government of Maharashtra Workshop for cities to become ODF++ (FSSM) Workshop report Background The government of Maharashtra successfully achieved its ambitious mission of making the state Open Defecation Free (ODF) in 2017. The state also recognized that making cities ODF is only half the battle and it is also important to ensure that the ODF status is sustained over time. In its ODF Sustainability Charter, Government of Maharashtra has recognized the importance of fecal sludge and septage management. The entire service chain of onsite sanitation has also been recognized by the Government of Maharashtra (GoM) in its ODF, ODF+ and ODF++ framework. To support this, Government of Maharashtra has issued guidelines for implementation of Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) in urban areas (link). A few cities in Maharashtra, including Wai, Sinnar and Umred, have already taken up citywide FSSM services. In addition, six other cities have initiated planning for citywide FSSM. As a next step in scaling up of efforts for implementation of FSSM services the State Government decided to conduct sensitization and capacity building workshops for cities to become ODF++. The workshops were organized across the state to cover all the six divisions. In most cases, the workshops were hosted by ULBs that have already initiated planning for citywide FSSM. The host cities showcased what they had done so far on FSSM. It thus provided peer-to- peer learning as well for the ULB officials. The workshops were organized by SMMUA with the support of CEPT University and AIILSG under the SCBP program of NIUA. They also provided an opportunity to discuss some of the findings under the ongoing study of Financing and Private Sector in FSSM carried out under Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) grant. The main objective of these workshops was to sensitize the ULB officials on the following aspects: Need for Fecal Sludge and septage management Challenges in implementing FSSM and ways to address them Technical and financial Planning for citywide FSSM in their cities Eight workshops were conducted across six divisions in Maharashtra with about 412 participants from 136 ULBs. The state government identified these 136 cities, on the basis of various criteria such as: Individual toilet coverage, cities that performed well in achieving ODF status, geographic distribution etc. SN Division location No. of cities No. of participants 1 Pune Wai 16 34 2 Nagpur Umred 24 57 3 Amravati Akot 18 61 4 Amravati Amravati 15 77 5 Aurangabad Gevrai 16 32 6 Nanded Nanded 25 85 7 Nashik Sinnar 14 36 8 Thane Ambernath 08 33 Total 136 412 Presentations and Group Work The one-day workshop in each of the eight locations covered the following key aspects: Need for FSSM: This session provided an overview of the emerging recognition and efforts taken by the state government for FSSM, benefits of FSSM over the conventional sewerage system and insights about negative environmental impacts of carelessly dumping fecal sludge without treatment. The presentation was followed by the video of FSSM planning and implementation in the city of Sinnar in Maharashtra. Planning for emptying services: This session highlighted the benefits of scheduled emptying over current practice of demand-based emptying. It also discussed financing options and private sector participation for emptying service. The session also included group exercises to calculate infrastructure requirements in the city for emptying services. Planning for treatment services: This Figure 1: Flyers on FSSM shared with participants session gave an overview of different treatment options available for FSSM, implementation and funding options for Faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP). Participants also worked together to prepare an action plan for implementation of FSSM plan for their respective cities. Presentations by host cities: The Chief Officers of the host cities presented details of on-going work, challenges and efforts taken up by them for planning and implementation of FSSM in their cities. Workshop deliberations 1. Sensitization of cities for implementation of FSSM will be crucial for moving towards ODF+ and ODF++ In Maharashtra, 340 out of 384 cities are completely dependent on onsite sanitation systems, mainly comprising septic tanks. Even in cities that have sewerage network, the spatial coverage is not complete and many properties are not connected to the network. At present, in Maharashtra, only 35 ULBs have an existing STP and another 9 ULBs have proposed STPs under AMRUT. For these cities, as well as a few nearby cities it would be possible to take up co treatment at these STPs. Other ULBs have no facilities to treat their fecal waste at present. In these cities, septic tanks are emptied only when they are full, often once in 8 to 10 years. The septage that is collected by the ULB or private emptiers is indiscriminately disposed in open lands or water bodies without any treatment. This practice has adverse effect on ground water and surface water, which affects the health and environment in its surrounding. Thus, an efficient implementation of FSSM service chain can certainly help in achieving the goal of improved and sustainable sanitation at much lower costs. The various initiatives taken by the National and state government in the FSSM sector were highlighted to the participants. At the national level, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUA), Government of India has rolled out the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management policy in year 2017. Recently, the protocols for ODF+ and ODF++ have been issued under the Swachh Bharat Mission, where one of the key aspects for a city to attain ODF++ status is to have a proper Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM). At the State level, Government of Maharashtra had developed the concept of ODF, ODF+ and ODF++ even before the national government protocols. Under this, ODF+ cities are those cities where 80% of residential properties will have access to own toilets and remaining population will have access to public/community toilets and there would also be safe collection, conveyance and treatment / disposal of faecal sludge and septage. The Government of Maharashtra has also issued Government Resolution (GR) directing cities to use the 50% of 14th FC funds and SBM incentive funds for FSSM related activities. It was also highlighted that these training workshops will help the participants to plan and implement FSSM services in their cities. The participants were informed that post this workshop, cities should start planning for FSSM services and soon after state government (SMMUA) will follow- up regarding their implementation plan and related timeline. 2. Scheduled/regular emptying of septic tanks for ensuring equitable, affordable and environmentally appropriate services For FSSM service to work well, it is important that the full sanitation service chain is addressed, and universal and affordable conveyance services are available to all citizens. The current practice of emptying septic tanks in cities is to provide “emergency complaint redressal system”, rather than as a regular service by the local governments. The irregular or delayed services also put a threat to public health and environment. The user charges for these are often very high ranging from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 7000 per trip in different cities of Maharashtra. It was discussed that a more equitable citywide service linked to local sanitation tax or property taxes is needed. As national policies on FSSM and CPHEEO have suggested cleaning of septic tanks once in every 2 to 3 years1, the regular cleaning of septic tanks has gained much significance over the last few years. The example of performance linked annuity models for “citywide” scheduled emptying in Wai was presented. It showed how the ULB and private player had joined hands to build a mutually beneficial business model with a win-win situation for all. Under this model, ULB appoints the private player to carry out scheduled emptying service in the city. The Capex cost of the truck and Opex cost of the emptying service will be initially mobilized by the private player which will be paid back by the local government using annuity payments. The private player will be paid against performance linked to the number of septic tanks emptied. The household will pay sanitation tax to the local government, which will ensure that adequate funds are available to recover the cost of emptying service. The risk of late payment raised by private players is attempted to be mitigated through an escrow account mechanism. Thus, with a performance-based contract, customers are assured of a high-quality service with low prices paid through sanitation tax. Lower prices are due to economies of scale, lowering the charge per individual emptying. The emerging experience of the cities of Wai and Sinnar in Maharashtra in providing citywide scheduled services using a PPP model with a performance linked annuity model can help address concerns of both equity and affordability. The idea of scheduled emptying service was very well appreciated by the ULB officials. Around 96% of cities expressed their interest for implementation of scheduled emptying services in their FSSM action plan submitted by them at the end of the workshop. 1 As per CPHEEO Manual on Sewerage and Sewage Treatment Systems - 2013 ; Part-A Engineering, chapter-9, page-22 In case, some cities decide to continue with demand-based desludging services, a few ideas to improve this service were also highlighted. The licensing or registration of private emptiers along with GPS based monitoring systems need to be setup. This will help to monitor where the tanks are emptied and whether the truck disposes the collected fecal waste at treatment facilities or at the designated sites. A few cities showed interest for a gradual approach of emptying (strengthening demand-based services first, and then going for scheduled emptying).

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