sanitation without sewers - summary project report by force - giz
Post on 23-Jul-2016
220 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
CONSOLIDATED SUMMARY OF PROJECT
FOR
“Sanitation Beyond Sewers”: Water bodies and their
linkages with the informal settlements (Contract No. 83190839)
For
by
Forum For Organised Resource Conservation and Enhancement
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The project ‘ Sanitation Beyond Sewers’ has been a tremendous learning experience for
us at FORCE. It has brought to the forefront seemingly environmentally unsound and
discriminatory aspects of urban poor habitation planning that seems to have escaped
the attention of urban planners so far.
The FORCE team would like to thank GIZ GmbH for having given us this priceless
opportunity to enhance our knowledge. In particular, we would like to thank Ms Aparna
Das for her focused guidance and support throughout the project. A special thanks also
to the GIZ team members under the leadership of Mr Frank Samol, who had shared their
valuable insights during the interim presentation made by FORCE at the GIZ office.
The project reports are the result of the intelligent analysis and hard work of the project
team members. The FORCE team would like to specially thank Ms Ana Norman
Bermudez and Mr Rajiv Reddy Pandala – interns at GIZ – who worked as a part of the
Project team. Their commitment and hard work was exemplary. We also thank Mr
Shubham Mishr – the GIS and urban planning expert for the project – for sharing his
vision and using his knowledge and experience to add value to the project.
Last but not the least, we are grateful to the officials of Delhi Development Authority
(DDA), Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Delhi
Parks and Gardens Society ( Deptt of Environment, Government of NCT of Delhi) for
sharing information regarding Water Bodies and Resettlement colonies. We also thank
the residents of the Resettlement Colonies– specially those in Madanpur Khadar block B2
– for the openness with which they shared their sanitation situation.
Regards
Jyoti Shoarma, President, FORCE
CONTENTS
1 Introduction to the study: ...........................................................................................4
1.1 Relocating the Habitations of the urban poor..........................................4
1.2 Jhuggis and Resettlement Colonies ..........................................................5
1.3 Water Bodies.....................................................................................................6
1.4 The Project ........................................................................................................6
2 Research objectives .....................................................................................................7
3 Design of the Study ......................................................................................................7
4 Limitations of the Project......................................................................................... 10
5 Summary of Project Findings .........................................................................................11
5.1 Sanitation in Resettlements .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.2 Water Bodies .................................................................................................. 13
5.3 Water bodies & the impact of Resettlements on them .....……………… 14
6 Conclusions and Recommendations .................................................................. 16
7 The Way Forward…….……………………………………………………….17
1. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY:
Since November 2014, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (M/o
HUPA) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) are jointly
implementing the “Inclusive Cities Partnership Programme” (ICPP) in the framework of
Indo-German Technical Cooperation. With a duration of three years, the programme
supports the agenda of Government of India (GoI) in making affordable housing
available to the urban poor, with a focus on the improvement of housing and living
conditions in slum settlement. The program makes an effort in synergizing with other
relevant urban development programs of GoI so as to contribute in making Indian cities
more inclusive.
1.1 RELOCATING THE HABITATIONS OF THE URBAN POOR
With India’s rapid urbanisation, cities play a vital role in the economic development of
the country. Delhi being the capital of the country has experienced this growth and also
attracts an immense, constant inflow of migrants as it is also the largest commercial
centre in Northern India. In the last decade the population of Delhi has grown from 13.8
million to 16.8 million. Although the urban population growth rate of Delhi has declined,
yet, in absolute terms, the city continues to grow at the average rate of 1000 persons
per day.
This growth places a great deal of pressure on the city’s infrastructural development. As
a result much of this development is haphazard and unplanned, leading to serious
consequences on Delhi’s environmental conditions and the quality of life of its
inhabitants, particularly the poor. Currently only 25 per cent of people live in planned
settlements while the rest live in substandard housing. 49 per cent live in slums and
unauthorised colonies, whilst around 18 per cent live in resettlement colonies.
Most often than not such informal settlements of urban poor, known as JJ Clusters and
Slum designated areas as well as the resettlement colonies, do not have adequate
sanitation infrastructure. The residents resort to ad-hoc/unscientific sanitation
practices, thus polluting the ground water, water bodies or the river itself.
In order to upgrade the living conditions of the slum dwellers of Delhi and also to
prohibit further pollution and damage to the water resources of the city, the State
Government has taken up slum relocation as a practice since the late 1960’s. However,
the locations of the resettlement colonies to which the slum residents were being
rehabilitated also did not have access to basic services such as sanitation and clean
water. They also seem to be in low lying areas.
This poses the question of how the city creates habitations for its poor particularly with
reference to the sanitation provisions being made. Also, how such settlements interact
with its water bodies, and thereby the possible environmental impact and how the slum
settlements can be better accommodated.
1.2 JHUGGIS AND RESETTLEMENT COLONIES
According the DUSIB Act, 2010 “jhuggi” means a structure whether temporary or pucca,
of whatever material made, with the following characteristics, namely:- (i) it is built for
residential purpose; (ii) its location is not in conformity with the land use of the Delhi
Master Plan; (iii) it is not duly authorized by the local authority having jurisdiction; and
(iv) it is included in a jhuggi jhopri basti declared as such by the Board, by notification.
Resettlement colonies concept in Delhi was started in 1962 after the cabinet approval of
the Juggi Jhompri Resettlement Scheme (JJR). In this scheme, no slums were to be
removed without first enabling alternative housing for those being displaced.
‘Resettlement colonies’ were built to house residents evicted from Jhuggi Jhopri clusters
(JJC). As a result of that scheme (and its modifications) at present there are 86
resettlement colonies in Delhi.
1.3 WATER BODIES
Water Bodies in Delhi (and other urban areas) are rapidly deteriorating. This fact has
been brought to the notice of the government several times by environmentalists. On
the basis of a PIL filed by a Delhi based NGO, the Honble High Court of Delhi had given
orders that all water bodies in Delhi were to be protected. Infact, the Honble. High
Court of Delhi has been monitoring the progressive improvement of the water bodies
since May, 2011 and has ordered the GNCT to prepare an action plan to conserve them.
1.4 THE PROJECT - “Sanitation Beyond Sewers”: Water Bodies and their linkages with
Informal Settlements
This study, was conducted by Forum for Organised Resource Conservation and
Enhancement (FORCE), funded by GIZ as a part of its ICPP program. The main purpose of
the study is to find out the status of sanitation in resettlement colonies, the status of
water bodies in Delhi and to explore the linkages between water bodies and Planned
Resettlement Colonies.
This report will give a summary of the findings, conclusions and recommendations of
the entire project. Detailed reports for each sub-section and each deliverable of the
project are being submitted along with this Summary.
2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
There are three main objectives of the whole study:
1. To understand the condition of sanitation in a typical resettlement colony with
special reference to the gender sensitivity of the provisions made
2. To understand the status of water bodies in Delhi
3. To understand the linkages between planned habitations for the poor in Delhi
with the city’s water bodies.
Based on the above, recommendations for better protection of water bodies; for
sanitation provisions in resettlement colonies and for an integrated approach to
planning for water bodies and resettlements will be made.
3. DESIGN OF THE STUDY
In view of the above objectives, the study was broken into two sections.
Section A – This part of the study was a Macro analysis of Water Bodies and their
relationship with Resettlement colonies in the city with special reference to Sanitation.
GIS mapping was used extensively as an analytical tool in this section. The GIS analysis
was supplemented by detailed observations of 6 resettlements studied as examples for
sanitation and its link with water bodies.
The key outputs of this section were:
No. Deliverable as per contract Description
A1 GIS based documentation of
water bodies and river, overlaid
with mapping of planned
resettlement colonies.
Delhi’s water bodies and resettlement
colonies along with descriptors such
as size, location, current status etc
have been mapped using GIS. The
(Submitted as CD: “GIS
Mapping Water Bodies and
Resettlements)”
resulting maps have been analyzed to
arrive at conclusions regarding the
reason for their current status, their
inter-relationships and
recommendations for planners
A2 Report on evolution of planned
resettlement colonies in Delhi
around water bodies (up to six
case studies).
(Our Report: “FORCE report on
Resettlements and Water
Bodies”)
A Report that captures the findings,
conclusions and recommendations of
the above study has been made. The
report also includes in-depth analysis
of 6 resettlement colonies to further
explore the relationship between
water bodies and sanitation.
A3 Product for mass distribution
combining the map of the
settlements and water bodies
with brief background on the
selected planned resettlement
colonies
(Submitted as CD: “GIS
Mapping Water Bodies and
Resettlements)”
Link to web:
This is a web based map of water
bodies and resettlements that will be
uploaded and hosted on the FORCE
webpage and Social media pages. The
objective is to allow community and
other stakeholders to study the map,
the characteristics of water bodies
and resettlements that have been
captured there. We hope to use that
map in the coming months as an
agent of positive change for water
bodies and resettlements.
Section B – This part of the study was a Micro Analysis of the sanitation conditions in a
typical resettlement. Madanpur Khadar B2 block was taken as an example for the study.
The study not just listed the sanitation conditions but, also tried to identify the factors
that help improve the sanitation conditions in an area .
The key outputs of this section were:
No. Deliverable as per contract Description
B2 Concept note on documentation
methods.
(Our Report:“Documentation
Concept Note”
A brief note was presented to clarify
how we would collect and present the
information about Madanpur Khadar
sanitation conditions
B1 Documentation of Sanitation
Conditions in B2 Block Madanpur
Khadar
(Our Report: “Sanitation Status
Report”
This is a Report on the Sanitation
Conditions in B2 block of Madanpur
Khadar with a special focus on the
gender perspective.
B3 Audio-visual documentation of
Madanpur Khadar’s sanitation
conditions, from a gender
perspective including interviews of
the locals.
(DVD: “GIZ Sanitation Film”
This is a film that shows that it is
possible to improve the sanitation
conditions of even those areas where
there are no sewers.
B4 Photo essay on Madanpur Khadar.
(Our Report: “Madanpur Khadar
Photo Essay”)
Based on photographs taken by children
and community members as a part of
project activities, this photo essay gives
an insight into the life on an average
resettlement colony resident.
B5 Documentation on children’s
community involvement project
(Our Report : Report on Community
Events)
This report lists down the activities
conducted with children of Madanpur
Khadar as a part of this project.
4. LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT
The key limitation of the project was the limited time available for carrying out the
study. Also availability of validated data was a challenge since government records on
the topic are sketchy. Even where data was available, accessing it from the government
sources was difficult.
The time limitation also limited the scope of the project. The study details, as per the
defined deliverables, opened windows into many more relevant issues for further study.
However, owing to the lack of time, it was not possible to expand the scope as required.
This study is therefore, more of a preliminary study. A larger study with greater scope
for in-depth exploration of the issues raised, is needed to do justice to the issues
highlighted by this study.
5. SUMMARY OF PROJECT FINDINGS
5.1 SANITATION IN RESETTLEMENTS
( Details in: “Sanitation Status Report “ and ‘MadanpurKhadar – Photo Essay”. Also
some references in “FORCE report on Resettlements and Water Bodies”)
The study echoed the observations voiced by Non profits – that sanitation conditions in
Resettlement Colonies are not substantially better than those in unauthorized slums.
The alarming fact revealed by the study is that prima facie, it seems that the poor
sanitation condition has a far more basic genesis than was earlier assumed.
So far, social workers have assumed that the poor sanitation conditions are because of a
lack of co-ordination between the multiple authorities involved in rehabilitation of the
poor. Delhi has a unique problem in this respect owing to the duality in its governance
by both the central and state governments. Our detailed case studies verified this fact.
They revealed that it took a minimum of 10 years upto 26 years from the time of
construction to bring sewer lines into a resettlement colony! Organised garbage disposal
systems seemed to be last on the priority list of the planners since it is not present even
after 26 years in some areas. This means that for atleast 10 years, the residents of a
resettlement colony live without any access to sewage and garbage disposal systems.
The resultant unscientific, unplanned and unhygienic coping up methods followed by
residents are largely responsible for the horrible state of sanitation in these areas.
Women suffer the most because of poorly planned sanitation. They face humiliation,
health problems and inconvenience because of lack of easily accessible, adequate and
well maintained toilets. This also leads to sporadic open defection when children and
women urinate and defecate in open drains near their houses during night or early
morning or in emergency situations when going to the community toilet complex is
difficult.
The study also shows that the size of the resettlement plots has been going down
consistently since 1962. The design of resettlement houses that have been allotted in
the last phase does not include a toilet. The obvious conclusion is that sanitation
provisions within the house have been given least priority by the government.
On the other hand, our interactions with the residents of the resettlements showed that
a toilet within the household was high on their priority list even when sewage disposal
options were not there. Women act as major influencers in the family decision of
making the toilet. In many homes, the women use the home toilet while the men still
use the community toilet or defecate in the open. The toilet is usually made to protect
the dignity of the women of the household. Infact, in the older resettlements, many
households had already made toilets. The leach pits were made under the floor of their
bedrooms or in the lanes in-front of their homes. In many cases, the toilet waste was
emptied directly into the open drains flowing in-front of their houses.
Our study showed that the provision of sewers and the presence of privately managed
or government managed house to house garbage collections systems were the most
critical determinants of the state of sanitation of an area. Unfortunately, what we also
saw was that over time, unauthorised slums came up in the open spaces and around the
resettlement colonies. Thus, even where sewer lines and garbage dumps were finally
provided, there were pockets of filth unconnected to these provisions.
The most critical revelation of our study was, however, that the Resettlement colonies
were doomed to be plagued by sanitation problems from the day they were
conceptualized. Our study has revealed a clear tendency of Resettlements to be located
within the core catchment of one or more water bodies. 90% water bodies are located
either within the boundaries of the resettlements or within a 1 km buffer zone. The land
selected for the resettlements was topographically placed in a depressed zone. As a
result there was an inherent tendency of the area to be waterlogged – an observation
that was verified by the residents of those areas. More importantly, the reverse slopes
would make it difficult to link the area’s internal sewerage and drainage with the trunk
lines.
The fact that after 1990, there seems to be a clear trend towards locating the
resettlements in the northern peripheral wards of Delhi, further writes the obituary of
sanitation. Being the outermost, least developed parts of Delhi, there are no sewer
trunk lines or garbage disposal points in the vicinity of any of the new resettlements.
Hence, even if internal sewer lines are laid, there is no planned outfall for the sewage.
The high water table in these areas makes the situation worse, as it not only makes
sewage disposal difficult but also makes the groundwater more susceptible to
contamination.
5.2 WATER BODIES
( Details in : “FORCE report on Resettlements and Water Bodies”)
Government records reveal that there are more than 1000 Water Bodies in Delhi - a city
considered a ‘Dry’ city. On the GIS map made for the project, the marked water bodies
seem like they are jostling for space – a sight to delight the thirsty eyes of an average
Delhite. Yet, when you search for them on ground, you barely find any and the few you
find are in a pitiable state.
On one hand, our study showed a success of judicial activism. The Delhi High Court’s
order ‘To Preserve Water Bodies as Water Bodies’ seems to have had some success. The
government has made an effort to locate, mark and record the status of the water
bodies of Delhi. It has also tried to protect them by constructing boundary walls and de-
silting them. On the other hand, our study revealed a complete absence of a planned,
integrated approach to preventing deterioration in the condition of water bodies. This is
the reason why 80% of water bodies are either encroached or sewage filled or bone dry.
The study also revealed that the water bodies status varied across districts. Also that
different land owning agencies had different track records in maintaining the water
bodies. It was also seen that there was a positive correlation between the density of
population in a district and the level of encroachment of its water bodies and that water
bodies in villages seemed to fare much better than those in urban parts of Delhi. Several
patterns emerged which need to be explored further because they can give insights into
the pattern of deterioration of water bodies. These studies can help put in place
institutional mechanisms to safeguard water bodies during critical phases as the
catchment around them evolves.
Overall the picture that emerged was that of a callous neglect of the rainwater
reservoirs of the city. There is a clear pattern of deterioration as the land use of the
water body’s catchment changes from village to urban development. There is no
attempt to integrate habitation construction with the protection and productive
utilization of water bodies. No effort is made to stop contaminating influences around
the water bodies. The water bodies are largely seen as a useless piece of land and hence
are the target of encroachers. The only role they seem to be playing is that of
convenient garbage and sewage dumps or as reclaimed land sold off illegally.
5.3 WATER BODIES AND THE IMPACT OF RESETTLEMENTS ON THEM
( Details in : “FORCE report on Resettlements and Water Bodies”)
The tragedy unfolded by the study is the institutionalization of the neglect of Water
Bodies. It has shown a deliberate act of the government in choosing to make
resettlement colonies within the core catchments of water bodies. Not only is this
disastrous in terms of sanitation provisions for the resettlements, it sounds the death
knell for water bodies too. This was proven both by the GIS analysis and also by the case
studies done in our study .
All our case studies show that the water bodies near the resettlement are either
untraceable or filled with sewage. In resettlements where there is no sewerage system,
the water body is the sewage outfall point. In resettlements where a sewage network
exists and is connected to a trunk sewer, the water bodies are either untraceable or
have become the receptacles for sewage of the slum areas that have grown within and
around the resettlement.
It is also important to note that most of the resettlements (and the surrounding slums)
are fully or partially dependent on groundwater. Hence, the percolation of sewage into
groundwater is contaminating the drinking water source of these areas.
6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The key conclusion that emerges from this study is that the policies governing
Resettlement Planning need to be re-examined in view of the finding that the choice of
location and the sanitation planning is flawed. The choice of location makes the
resettlements vulnerable to failure of water and sewage disposal systems. The badly,
highly delayed design and implementation of the sewage disposal systems further
makes it impossible for these areas to have good sanitation conditions. Water Bodies
too suffer because of this flawed choice. They get encroached upon or become the
outfall for all the sewage of the area. Even those water bodies that are not near the
resettlements are either dry or encroached or sewage filled. It clearly shows that these
environmental assets have not been protected by the authorities.
Based on the conclusions the key recommendations are:
1) That a conscious effort should be made by the government to avoid making
resettlement colonies near water bodies.
2) That sanitation systems in resettlements should be in place BEFORE residents
shift in. These should be connected to trunk networks or sewage treatment
plants and regularly cleaned garbage dumps.
3) That government may consider making a two step sanitation plan – an interim
plan in which temporary sewage and garbage treatment arrangements may be
made for the first few years when residents are slowly moving into the colony –
and a final plan designed to take the full load of the colony
4) That, every home should have a toilet connected to the sewage disposal system.
5) That the sanitation systems should be planned for at least two times the capacity
of the resettlement in view of the fact that additional families move into the
resettlement areas in the existing plots and as unauthorized slums.
6) That water bodies need to be given a definitive, visible role. This will make their
protection a priority for the communities living there and the administration.
Some of the possible roles are that of Groundwater recharge points (hence all
rainwater runoff from the area must be diverted to the water body) or that of a
Wetland based Sewage Treatment and Storage Site.
7) That a buffer zone around water bodies should be kept free of any construction
8) That a strict policy of not allowing untreated sewage to enter the water bodies
should be made
9) That further studies be done to analyze the factors contributing to the
deterioration of water bodies and a Water Body lifespan protection plan be
made accordingly.
7. THE WAY FORWARD
The study, through visually compelling GIS maps, films, photo essays and through
analytically sound reports, has revealed the disastrous nature of urban poor settlements
and the state of the water bodies of the city. It has revealed trends in urban planning
that spell the death knell for water bodies and condemn resettled populations to a
lifetime of sanitation problems.
In the coming months, FORCE will be sharing the results of the study with relevant
government departments, urban planners and with community groups. The objective is
to build a body of opinion against the environmentally harmful and sanitation unfriendly
practices being followed currently. The aim is also to start a debate about the pragmatic
approaches that need to be taken if we are to save the water bodies of the city and to
address the question of whether we are forcing the poor to live in densely packed
pockets placed on topographically unsuitable lands rejected by the city’s rich.
We also hope to get additional support for further studies that will help us find answers
to the questions raised by this study. As has been mentioned earlier, due to paucity of
time and resources, this study’s scope had to be kept limited. However, it has revealed
some trends that bear further investigation to help us derive lessons for future planning.
These further studies gain importance in view of the fact that there is an increasing
simultaneous need to protect water bodies (as water sources and ecological buffers)
and provide dignified habitats for the increasing numbers of the displaced urban poor.
In the current scenario, habitats seem to be growing at the expense of water bodies. If
this trend is to be reversed then we need to understand the reasons behind the
correlations and trends observed in this study. Those reasons will hold the cues for
planners to help them better align water body protection with habitat growth and
sanitation needs of the growing population.
Report prepared by
Forum For Organised Resource Conservation and Enhancement (FORCE)
C-8/8035, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 110070. Web: www.force.org.in
For more details:
Jyoti Shoarma, President, FORCE. Ph: 8745017926, email: jyoti@force.org.in
Sanjiv Sharma, Director, Projects, FORCE. Ph: 8745017933, email: sanjiv@force.org.in
top related