Water and Sanitation Feature Story Reaching the Poor through Sustainable 35756 Partnerships: The Slum Sanitation Program in Mumbai, India #8 March 2006 In December 2003, the Bombay Sewage LINKING THE MUNICIPALITY AND India at a glance Disposal Project (BSDP) was completed. COMMUNITIES It was supported by a $192 million The SSP adopted a demand-led blended IBRD/IDA loan. The Slum participatory approach to scale-up Sanitation Program (SSP) component of sustainable environmental sanitation the BDSP provided sanitation services services in Mumbai in order to enable for over a quarter of a million slum improvement in the quality of life of dwellers. This was achieved by a large slum dwellers. This approach was scale construction of community toilet grounded in an assessment that showed Population: 1.08 billion; 28% blocks. SSP accounted for the willingness and readiness of urban; 72% rural; 1.4% approximately 6% of the BSDP cost. communities to participate in the annual growth rate The SSP shows how partnerships sanitation scheme. A mechanism for between municipalities, communities monitoring and evaluation was set up to Surface area: 3,287,300 Km2 and the local private sector can create support the implementation process and sustainable sanitation services at scale. to evaluate the real impact on the Life expectancy: 63.4 years ground. SLUMS IN MUMBAI AND GNI per capita: 620 USD SANITATION PROVISION The program adopted an innovative partnership between the Municipal The city of Mumbai which is home of Corporation of Brihanmumbai (MCBM) Human Development Index about 14 million people and is spread and communities, in which the ranking: 127 out of 177 countries over 438 sq.km. is India's financial municipality would provide the initial capital. The main industrial and capital to build community toilet blocks, economic activities in city had while the community groups would take % below the basic needs undergone metamorphic changes over full charge of operations and poverty line: 26.6% the years, yet it continued its unabated maintenance including water and growth challenging the availability of electricity charges. % improved water access: adequate housing within the reach of 86% the work force. As a result, about 55% THE SANITATION MAINTENANCE of its citizens live in about 2,000 FUND % improved sanitation densely populated slums which lack access: 30% satisfactory basic services, principally, Communities were mobilized around the access to sanitation facilities. sanitation and Community Based Government and public bodies, from Organizations (CBOs) were created and time to time, supplied toilets under obtained the legal status which allowed various programs, but they have largely them to manage the community failed to provide sustainable access. sanitation block. A sanitation maintenance fund was created by collecting upfront contribution in which money collected from the community Community Toilets was deposited in a joint account with Community toilets are meant for a the municipality. specific community of users and not for the general public. For this reason, The MCBM only issued a building permit users develop a sense of ownership of for the community toilet block after the assets and are wiling to take full 50% of the community contribution for charge of their management. the fund was collected and a technically sound plan for the toilet block was endorsed by the community. Water Supply and Sanitation Feature Stories tell how the World Bank supports countries to ensure efficient, affordable, and sustainable delivery of water supply and sanitation services. The World Bank provides approximately 1.5 Billion USD in new lending for water supply and sanitation per year. It is the largest external financier as well as a leading institutions in knowledge and learning in the sector. CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS SHOWING THE WAY FORWARD FOR Once construction was finished, the SLUM SANITATION RELEVANT PROJECTS MCBM signed a Memorandum of The capacity and strong commitment Understanding (MOU) with a CBO as a demonstrated by the CBOs have Bombay Sewage local service provider. The MOU contributed to a shift in attitude by Disposal Project provided the MCBM the prerogative to decision-makers. For example, the Country India evaluate the performance of the CBO municipal counselors, who were initially Project ID P010480 over time and replace them in case of skeptical about the capacities of Project US$ 192 low performance. The MOU defined communities to become local service cost Million Type IDA standards on cleanliness, hygiene, providers, are now amongst the credit/ transparency and accountability to user champions of the SSP partnership IBRD members, inclusiveness, and the proper approach. loan maintenance of the asset. Timeframe 1995- The experience in Mumbai demonstrated 2003 The municipality adopted an output- the importance of adopting an Status Closed focused approach, setting minimum integrated approach to slum sanitation. standards, but leaving to the It showed how the provision of construction agencies and the CBOs the sanitation services can be an entry point freedom to decide how to operate for a more integrated approach to the REFERENCES locally. CBOs chose a variety of options, provision of a wider set of ranging from direct user involvement in environmental services, like solid waste Staff Appraisal Report, all the activities to the outsourcing of disposal and improved drainage. It also Bombay Sewage management to private service showed that sanitation in slums is not Disposal Project, World Bank, June 1995 agencies. This flexible approach has effective and efficient without the increased the local sense of ownership provision of water and electricity. and accountability to the users, while Reaching the Poor reducing the burden for the municipality The MCBM is determined to build on the through Sustainable Partnerships: The Slum to micro-manage operation of services. positive experience of the SSP and scale up at city level, aiming at universal Sanitation Program in Mumbai, India, Rosanna RESULTS coverage of sanitation for slums. In Nitti and Shyamal scaling up, the municipality is adopting Sarkar, Urban Notes No. The SSP constructed 328 toilet blocks an integrated approach, combining the 7, November 2003 with more than 5,100 toilet seats in sanitation scheme with a water slums across Mumbai. At design program. It also aims to use sanitation Study of the World Bank- capacity, these facilities serve the needs as an entry point for the provision of a Financed Slum of 250,000 people. Empirical bundle of other key environmental Sanitation Project in observations suggest that the actual services. On the institutional side, SSP Mumbai, Water and number of users exceeds 400,000 program management is being fully Sanitation Program, people. integrated in the MCBM structure. The September 2005 Most of the CBO are performing well, coordination between complementary raising enough funds within their sectoral departments (both within and communities to efficiently manage the outside MCBM) and land owning toilet blocks and to pay for all the utility agencies is being improved. services. The scale up of the SSP will also entail a wider involvement of private MAKING SANITATION A BUSINESS enterprises, while ensuring that The SSP followed a policy of contracting community organizations maintain the out the whole sanitation package, role of equal partners. It will also be integrating health and hygiene important to increase the sanitation education, community organization, choices available to slum dwellers by planning, design, construction and formalizing and regulation some of the community capacity building for innovations currently under operation and maintenance under a implementation. single contract. The success of SSP is contributing to an increased interest of the private sector in construction and management of sanitation facilities in slums. Water Supply and Sanitation Feature Stories are published by the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Board of the World Bank. They are available online at http://www.worldbank.org/watsan and in hardcopy from whelpdesk@worldbank.org.