Adapting and replicating a proven partnership model for urban sanitation: SWEEP in Chittagong Topic Brief | February 2018 Cover image: Potential customers being surveyed in Chittagong. Credit: Jeff Chapin Contents 1. Introduction: Pilot, scale, replicate 4 1.1 Bangladesh: a second generation sanitation challenge 4 2. Replicating SWEEP in Chittagong: context and approach 5 2.1 Context: the sanitation situation in Chittagong 5 2.2 Laying the foundations for replicating SWEEP 5 2.3 Consolidating the partnership: the value of demonstration 6 3. SWEEP: Public-Private Partnership in Chittagong 7 4. Establishing a safe and viable sanitation business 8 4.1 Selecting a business to deliver SWEEP services 8 4.2 Providing safe FSM services 8 4.3 Building consumer demand 8 4.4 Achieving financial viability 9 5. Serving low-income customers 10 5.1 Building a low-income customer base into the contract 10 5.2 Setting prices for low-income customers 10 5.3 Promoting SWEEP and FSM in LICs 11 6. Strengthening the urban FSM sector in Bangladesh 12 6.1 Chittagong 12 6.2 Further expansion 12 7. Conclusion 13 Image: Street in Chittagong Credit: Adrian Jankowiak 1. Introduction: Pilot, scale, replicate This publication explores the replication of a problem is particularly acute in densely populated cities public-private partnership (PPP) that provides safe such as Dhaka and Chittagong, and until recently there faecal sludge emptying and transport from on-site have been very few formal sanitation service providers that offer safe pit latrine and septic tank desludging to poorer sanitation facilities such as pit latrines and septic households (or, indeed, any households).1 Crucially, where tanks, marketed as ‘SWEEP’. Following a pilot projects have achieved the above, they have not been successful pilot period and subsequent expansion of able to achieve financial viability and to scale-up to SWEEP in Dhaka, WSUP is now replicating the city-wide service provision. SWEEP model in Bangladesh’s second largest city, Chittagong, and will soon be launching the service 1.2 SWEEP in Dhaka: showing in the cities of Rangpur and Barisal. This is the first that scale is achievable time that WSUP has replicated a financially viable sanitation business model in a different city to where Notwithstanding the above challenges, the experience of the pilot period took place: this publication shares one privately-run mechanised emptying and transport service suggests that scale-up in urban Bangladesh is the replication process and the lessons learnt to possible. First established in Dhaka, SWEEP is a vacuum date for other sanitation service providers seeking tanker-based faecal sludge emptying and disposal service multi-city expansion. provided by a private operator, and supported by Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) through a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement. WSUP acts as 1.1 Bangladesh: a second generation a ‘broker’: gaining buy-in for the concept from key stakeholders within DWASA and demonstrating to business sanitation challenge owners that faecal sludge management (FSM) was an untapped market and potentially profitable; designing a PPP Rates of open defecation have plummeted in Bangladesh agreement that adequately balanced the strengths and over the last fifteen years or so, thanks to a concerted weakness of both partners; mediating between partners; national effort to build on-site sanitation facilities and and continuing to support the SME to scale-up.2 SWEEP encourage their use. However, a ‘second generation’ has now served nearly 200,000 people in Dhaka. sanitation challenge has subsequently emerged: how to safely manage the accumulated faecal sludge contained in on-site sanitation facilities throughout Bangladesh. The 1 For an overview of ongoing sanitation service delivery projects in Faridpur (Practical Action), Sakhipur (WaterAid) and Dhaka (WSUP), see Blackett I & Hawkins P (Eds.) 2017. FSM Innovation: Case studies on the Business, Policy and Technology of Faecal Sludge Management, 2nd ed. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 2 For more detail on the SWEEP experience in Dhaka, see WSUP (2017) From pilot project to emerging sanitation service: Scaling up an innovative Public-Private Partnership for citywide faecal waste collection in Dhaka 5 2. Replicating SWEEP in Chittagong: context and approach 2.1 Context: the sanitation where City Corporations co-existed with WASAs situation in Chittagong (as is the case in Chittagong). CCC’s capacity to provide faecal sludge emptying services was extremely limited as the Corporation had only Chittagong is the second largest city in one vacuum tanker to serve the whole city. The Bangladesh, with a population of three million lack of clarity meant that both CWASA and CCC living in only 155 square kilometres. There is no were reluctant to take the lead in FSM but were sewerage in Chittagong: most of the population equally hesitant to cede control to other actors, use septic tanks and a minority rely on wet pit including those from the private sector. latrines; an estimated 200,000 m3 of faecal sludge accumulates in Chittagong’s tanks and pits every year. The city’s surface drainage 2.2 Laying the foundations for system is treated as de facto sewerage: a WSUP replicating SWEEP survey found that almost half of Chittagong’s residents connect their septic tanks and pit SWEEP’s replication in Chittagong was the latrines directly to street drains to discharge culmination of sustained engagement with CCC. faecal waste. Those who cannot connect their WSUP established itself in Chittagong in 2015, toilets in such a manner employ informal manual aligning closely with Chittagong City Corporation emptiers who dump the sludge in the nearest (CCC) and Chittagong Water and Sewerage surface drain or water body. Others open their Authority (CWASA). For example, WSUP tanks and pits during the rainy season so the supported CCC to design an on-site sanitation sludge drains away. strategy to prepare for the introduction of the national Institutional and Regulatory Frameworks Significant structural barriers have stymied for FSM (IRF). The IRF was signed into law by efforts to improve Chittagong’s sanitation the Government of Bangladesh in May 2017, and situation. As the largest port in Bangladesh and definitively assigns responsibility for urban FSM the country’s import/export centre, Chittagong to City Corporations (although Dhaka WASA will makes a major economic contribution to the retain a role in the capital city), clarifying previous country. Despite this, Chittagong City confusion about which institution takes the lead. Corporation (CCC) has a relatively small budget (almost US$ 270 million for 2016-17).3 This As the national frameworks for FSM regulation financial shortfall hinders municipal investment in and policy formulation took shape, a more sanitation infrastructure, including projects that defined space for private sanitation service would aid the development of professionalised providers in Chittagong began to emerge. This, FSM services such as treatment plants or combined with pre-existing relationships between decentralised transfer stations. WSUP and Chittagong’s major sanitation stakeholders such as CCC, CWASA and In addition to a lack of fiscal resource, FSM (until ‘sweeper’ (informal manual emptiers) mid-2017) was in a legal and policy ‘grey area’ communities, meant the city was an ideal between Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage replication site for the SWEEP model. WSUP Authority (CWASA) and CCC. Though nominally worked together with the Chittagong City responsible for sewerage, CWASA primarily Corporation – now confirmed as the primary expanded the water distribution network, institution responsible for FSM – so that the need and CCC focused on solid waste management for private involvement to deliver high-quality rather than delivering ‘environmental FSM at scale was recognised. maintenance’ as mandated. According to the 2009 City Corporation and Pourashavas Acts, ‘environmental maintenance’ included FSM, although this distinction was unclear in cities 3 The Asian Age (10 October 2016) CCC declares Tk 2225cr budget for 2016-17 WSUP Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor 6 2.3 Consolidating the partnership: the value of demonstration CCC staff were able to witness the SWEEP model in action in Dhaka during a learning visit to the capital city in 2016. This was a key factor in gaining CCC’s buy-in for the replication and adaptation of SWEEP in Chittagong, confirming a broader lesson that demonstrating effective service delivery models is a powerful driver of change. CCC were able to observe the link between the rather abstract idea of a PPP arrangement in urban FSM and actual improvements in sanitation on the ground in Dhaka. Equally importantly, CCC staff could also visualise the role of the public sector in improving the enabling environment for sanitation businesses. With backing from the CCC Department of Conservancy, the Mayor of Chittagong signed an MoU with WSUP to launch a private FSM service in April 2017. A strategy was developed with three main aims: to establish a safe and viable business (detailed in section 4); to serve the most vulnerable in the city (section 5); and to encourage others to enter, invest in and strengthen the sanitation sector in Chittagong (section 6). Image: Chittagong waterway. Credit: Jeff Chapin WSUP Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor 7 3. The SWEEP PPP in Chittagong Based on a market assessment of Such an arrangement is beneficial to the private Chittagong and financial modelling, operator; their initial investment is minimal, and WSUP designed a PPP framework WSUP and CCC absorb the longer-term cost of depreciation. This financial advantage is a means involving three parties: CCC (a government of compensating the business owner for entering entity), a private operator (later identified a new sector, especially one as untested as safe as Chittagong Sheba Sangstha (CSS), a and formalised urban FSM. The medium- and medical waste management company) longer-term strategy is for CCC to use their and WSU P. budget for FSM allocated by the central government to acquire additional vacuum The SWEEP model was established in Dhaka tankers.