Dear Elisabeth,

The term DSI stands for Decentralized Sanitation Infrastructure and is part of the project “Strengthening the Operation and Maintenance Sector for Servicing Decentralized Urban Sanitation Infrastructure in Karnataka, India”.
We looked at the Decentralized Sanitation Infrastructure across the sanitation value chain. In this particular report the town where the study was carried out has septic tank and pits as collection systems.
As this is the case in many small towns of Karnataka, we wanted to understand the O&M service requirements for septic tanks and pits. Therefore, the study addressed the perceptions and willingness to pay for septic tank and pit emptying and its treatment.
The treatment need not be in a DEWATS plant but any system that ensures achievement of standard legal requirements. The current practice is that fees for emptying is collected by service provider and it covers the cost of service provision. However, we also found out if users would be willing to pay for covering the cost of treatment.

I hope this answers your question.

Best regards

Lincy

Dear CDD Society,

Thanks for making us aware of this report. You had originally used the abbreviation DSI which confused me a little. So DSI in your report stands for "Decentralised sanitation services" (why not DSS then?) and when I hear this term in connection with BORDA (and CDD Society), I immediately think of your DEWATS systems (i.e. anaerobic baffled reactors, constructed wetlands and so forth). But this particular report is actually focussing on desludging of pits and septic tanks.

Do I understand right that this study was part of the Gates-funded grant called "Strengthening the Operation and Maintenance Sector for Servicing Decentralized Urban Sanitation Infrastructure in Karnataka, India"? I have moved this post into this thread about this project for this reason.

Do I assume correctly that you are interested in the perceptions and willigness to pay for septic tank emptying because your aim is to have the faecal sludge treated in a type of DEWATS plant? And therefore, you'd need to collect sufficient emptying fees to pay for at least part of the treatment costs, too?

I copy here two paragraphs from your conclusions which I found particularly relevant:

It was found that domestic users, especially those that do not enter into medium to long term maintenance agreements with service providers, highly value timeliness and hygiene in sanitation service provision. Although this segment is price-sensitive, domestic users are concerned about worker safety and are willing to accept small increments in price for improved services and worker safety. The survey also suggests that lack of awareness about sewage disposal practices results in unwillingness to pay for sewage treatment. This might also explain why most domestic consumers perceive sanitation services to be
over-priced.

[...]

The study categorically debunks the notion that users are not willing to pay for sanitation services and questions this implicit assumption in government-led sanitation programs for the poor. While reinforcing the viability of commercial sanitation services, the study points to the need for greater awareness among domestic consumers about disposal of sewage and for improvements in service delivery. The former requires a vigorous information and communication campaign for end-users while the latter can be achieved through well-designed training programs for service providers.

Regards,
Elisabeth

Can you imagine toilets without proper sewer systems? Yuck!
Well in urban areas, you'll find them everywhere! In fact, Toilets are either connected to a storm drain, a collection pit or in better cases - a septic tank.
So what happens when the collection systems fill up?

The answers you will find in the video... please take a look and give us your feedback! Faecal Sludge Management

Sanitation services, centralized or decentralized, are often designed with certain presumptions about user preferences. Most public sanitation programs, for instance, assume that users are unwilling to pay for sanitation services. The (erroneous) argument often put forth is that sanitation services largely offer social benefits and it is difficult to assign private costs to them. Prima facie, this argument seems logical. Sanitation services do offer social benefits that go far beyond private ones. However, several studies have also shown that users are willing, and do pay if sanitation services are made accessible, meet their requirements, and priced reasonably.

This case study, of a peri-urban community on the outskirts of Bengaluru, uncovers the aspects of sanitation services that are important to different user groups. It also tests the commercial viability of these services by attempting to determine the users’ willingness to pay.

Dear Kim,

my appologies for the late reply! The project is just starting so some of your question cannot be answert by now.
Please find below the team's reply to your questions:


Will you work with a couple of selected urban areas as pilots?
We will work in one city in India with aim of later reaching to larger context.

Since you will have a strong focus on O&M, I wonder if the infrastructural part of the sanitation system to a great extent already is in place, or will you have to invest heavily in infrastructure development as well initially?
No, we do not aim to invest in infrastructure, large number system already exist that need O&M

It would be nice to understand what will be your strategies and methods to mobilize the governments and key stakeholders?
We will update on this few month later

Will you be facilitating and supporting possible businesses opportunities for different functions along the sanitation value chain? Lastly, do you also aim at making the sanitation systems more sustainable from a resource point of view, e.g. through recycling of water and nutrients in agricultural production?
Yes, we aim to engage private sector in O&M value chain. The project will facilitate the process.

Best wishes,
Maren on behalf of Stanzin Tsephel

Dear Kim,

thanks for your interest in our project and your questions.
I will forward your questions to our project team in India and will get back to you as soon as possible.

Best wishes,
Maren

Dear Maren,
First of all I want to give you my congratulations to the grant; it is very important to invest in the strengthening of the governance and management side of sanitation development. I know that you are just recently starting up your activities, but I hope you can answer some questions I have to get to know your project better.

Will you work with a couple of selected urban areas as pilots? What does the sanitation situation look like at the outset of the project? Since you will have a strong focus on O&M, I wonder if the infrastructural part of the sanitation system to a great extent already is in place, or will you have to invest heavily in infrastructure development as well initially? It would be nice to understand what will be your strategies and methods to mobilize the governments and key stakeholders? Will you be facilitating and supporting possible businesses opportunities for different functions along the sanitation value chain? Lastly, do you also aim at making the sanitation systems more sustainable from a resource point of view, e.g. through recycling of water and nutrients in agricultural production?

Looking forward to hear more about your project!
Thanks and best regards,
Kim

Dear all, I would herewith like to introduce you to a grant which we recently received from the BMGF. Further information is provided below in this post. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask us here on the forum.


Title of grant:

Strengthening the Operation and Maintenance Sector for Servicing Decentralized Urban Sanitation Infrastructure in Karnataka, India

Name of lead organization:
BORDA (grantee), CDD Society (sub-grantee)

Primary contact at lead organization:
Mr. Stanzin Tsephel
+91 80 28486700
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Grantee location:
BORDA - Bremen, Germany
CDD Society - Bangalore, India

Developing country where the research is being or will be tested:
India (Karnataka state)

Short description of the project:
The project seeks to develop government and private sector capacity to address the absence of professional, and an enabling environment to provide professional O&M services for urban sanitation infrastructure,especially for decentralised and onsite wastewater treatment systems.

Goal(s):
The project aims to support improved O&M services for decentralized urban sanitation infrastructure in one city in Karnataka.

Objectives:

1. Support city governments to implement O&M related recommendations of relevant policies and advisory notes such as the septage management advisory note for decentralized sanitation infrastructure.
2. Help improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of O&M services for decentralized urban sanitation infrastructure.
3. Disseminate knowledge of new approaches to O&M of decentralized urban sanitation infrastructure to non-targeted cities.

Start and end date:
01 November 2013 – 31 December 2015

Grant type and size:
Global Development Program
$ 979,663 (www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quic...s-Database#q/k=BORDA)

Research or implementation partners:
CDD Society, Bangalore

Links, further readings – results to date:
Project implementation launches in January 2014

Current state of affairs:
Preparing for project launch in January 2014

Biggest successes so far:
Project implementation launches in January 2014

Main challenges / frustration:
N/A