Feature Stories WATER 46187 ISSUE 5 | March 2006 Reaching the Poor through Sustainable Partnerships: The Slum Sanitation Program in Mumbai, India I n December 2003, the Bombay Sewage Disposal LINKING THE MUNICIPALITY AND Project (BSDP) was completed. It was supported COMMUNITIES by a US$ 192 million blended IBRD/IDA loan. The Slum Sanitation Program (SSP) component of the The SSP adopted a demand-led participatory ap- BSDP provided sanitation services for over a quarter proach to scale up sustainable environmental of a million slum dwellers. This was achieved by a sanitation services in Mumbai in order to enable large-scale construction of community toilet blocks. improvement in the quality of life of slum dwellers. SSP accounted for approximately 6% of the BSDP This approach was grounded in an assessment that cost. The SSP shows how partnerships between mu- showed the willingness and readiness of communi- nicipalities, communities and the local private sector ties to participate in the sanitation scheme. A mech- can create sustainable sanitation services at scale. anism for monitoring and evaluation was set up to support the implementation process and to evaluate SLUMS IN MUMBAI AND the real impact on the ground. SANITATION PROVISION The program adopted an innovative partner- ship between the Municipal Corporation of Brihan- The city of Mumbai, which is home to about 14 mumbai (MCBM) and communities, in which the million people and is spread over 438 km2. is municipality would provide the initial capital to build India's financial capital. The main industrial and community toilet blocks, while the community groups economic activities in city had undergone meta- would take full charge of operations and mainte- morphic changes over the years, yet it continued nance, including water and electricity charges. its unabated growth, challenging the availability of adequate housing within the reach of the work force. As a result, about 55% of its citizens live in THE SANITATION MAINTENANCE about 2,000 densely populated slums which lack FUND satisfactory basic services, principally, the access to sanitation facilities. Government and public bod- Communities were mobilized around sanitation, ies from time to time supplied toilets under various and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) were programs, but they have largely failed to provide created and obtained the legal status which allowed sustainable access. them to manage the community sanitation block. A sanitation maintenance fund was created by collect- ing an upfront contribution. These monies collected Community Toilets from the community were deposited in a joint ac- count with the municipality. Community toilets are meant for a specific com- munity of users and not for the general public. The MCBM only issued a building permit for For this reason, users develop a sense of own- the community toilet block after 50% of the com- ership of the assets and are willing to take full munity contribution for the fund was collected and charge of their management. a technically sound plan for the toilet block was en- dorsed by the community. IndIa at a glance Human Development Index ranking: MORe InFORMatIOn Population: 10.5 million ­ urban 49%, rural 51%; 127 out of 177 countries Staff Appraisal Report, Bombay Sewage Disposal Population: 1.08 billion ­ urban 28%, % below the basic needs poverty line: 26.6% Project, World Bank, June 1995 rural 72%; 1.4% annual growth rate % improved water access: 86% Reaching the Poor through Sustainable Partnerships: Surface area: 3,287,300 km2 % improved sanitation access: 30% The Slum Sanitation Program in Mumbai, India, Life expectancy: 63.4 years Rosanna Nitti and Shyamal Sarkar, Urban Notes No. 7, November 2003 GNI per capita: US$ 620 Study of the World Bank-Financed Slum Sanitation Project in Mumbai, Water and Sanitation Program, September 2005 FEATURE SToRiES CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS SHOWING THE WAY FORWARD FOR SLUM SANITATION Once construction was finished, the MCBM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a The capacity and strong commitment demonstrated CBO as a local service provider. The MOU provid- by the CBOs have contributed to a shift in attitude ed the MCBM the prerogative to evaluate the per- by decision-makers. For example, the municipal formance of the CBO over time and replace them counselors, who were initially skeptical about the in case of low performance. The MOU defined capacities of communities to become local service standards on cleanliness, hygiene, transparency and providers, are now amongst the champions of the accountability to user members, inclusiveness, and SSP partnership approach. the proper maintenance of the asset. The experience in Mumbai demonstrated the The municipality adopted an output focused importance of adopting an integrated approach approach, setting minimum standards but leav- to slum sanitation. It showed how the provision of ing to the construction agencies and the CBOs the sanitation services can be an entry point for a more freedom to decide how to operate locally. CBOs integrated approach to the provision of a wider set chose a variety of options, ranging from direct user of environmental services, like solid waste disposal involvement in all the activities to the outsourcing and improved drainage. It also showed that sanita- of management to private service agencies. This tion in slums is not effective and efficient without flexible approach has increased the local sense of the provision of water and electricity. ownership and accountability to the users, while reducing the burden for the municipality to micro- The MCBM is determined to build on the manage operation of services. positive experience of the SSP and scale up at city level, aiming at universal coverage of sani- tation for slums. In scaling up, the municipality RESULTS is adopting an integrated approach, combining the sanitation scheme with a water program. It The SSP constructed 328 toilet blocks with more also aims to use sanitation as an entry point for than 5,100 toilet seats in slums across Mumbai. At the provision of a bundle of other key environ- design capacity, these facilities serve the needs of mental services. On the institutional side, SSP 250,000 people. Empirical observations suggest program management is being fully integrated in that the actual number of users exceeds 400,000 the MCBM structure. The coordination between people. complementary sectoral departments (both within and outside MCBM) and land owning agencies is Most of the CBO are performing well, raising being improved. enough funds within their communities to efficiently manage the toilet blocks and to pay for all the util- The scale-up of the SSP will also entail a wider ity services. involvement of private enterprises, while ensuring that community organizations maintain the role of equal partners. It will also be important to increase MAKING SANITATION A BUSINESS the sanitation choices available to slum dwellers by formalizing and regulation some of the innovations The SSP followed a policy of contracting out the currently under implementation. whole sanitation package, integrating health and hygiene education, community organization, plan- ning, design, construction and community capacity building for operation and maintenance under a RELEVANT PROJECT single contract. The success of SSP is contribut- ing to an increased interest of the private sector in Bombay Sewage disposal Project construction and management of sanitation facili- Project ID P010480 ties in slums. Water Feature Stories are published by the Water Sector Board of the World Bank. They are available online at www.worldbank.org/water and in hardcopy from whelpdesk@worldbank.org. 2