Service Provision Governance in the PeriUrban Interface of Metropolitan Areas A DFID Project South A

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Service Provision Governance in the Peri-Urban
Interface of Metropolitan Areas(A DFID
Project)South Asia Regional Workshop, Chennai,
India10,11 February 2005

• Water Sanitation Service Governance
• in Chennai Peri-Urban Interface
• APPROACH AND STRATEGY
• 
  M.G.Devasahayam
• 
  
  SUSTAIN

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The Lessons

• Peri-Urban Interface settlements, with population
  varying from15,000 to 40,000, are too big to be
  handled by communities and too small and
  dispersed to be managed by Public utilities.
• With the kind of water crisis prevailing in
  Chennai City, METROWATER cannot be expected to
  deliver WSS in the PUI.
• Tamil Nadu State Water and Sewerage Board has
  reportedly withdrawn from WSS activities within
  the CMA
• Private provision of water is mainly through
  tankers from water sourced from underground
  aquifers in the PU areas. They cater mostly to
  the affordable groups at high cost. While they
  deprive the PUI areas of sustained water supply,
  the poor are left out of their delivery ambit.
• It is imperative that WSS in PUI should be the
  combined responsibility of Public, Private and
  Community sectors acting in harmony, particularly
  in reaching out to the poor.

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Basic Parameters

• For the Public-Private-Community combination to
  work there is
• need to establish certain basic WSS parameters.
  These are
• Minimum entitlement of Class I (protected, safe)
  water to the poor for drinking and hygiene
  delivered through private/public taps or
  community managed kiosks
• Determining maximum entitlement of Class I water
  for those who can afford
• Class II water for sanitation, cleaning and
  flushing must come out of waste water recycling
• Every individual must have access to a sanitary
  toilet so as to eliminate open defecation. This
  may be in the form of household toilet, shared
  toilet or community managed toilets

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Basic Parameters (Contd.)

• Restrictions on households to discharge used
  water into the ground without pretreatment to
  specified standards to eliminate pollution of
  underground aquifers. This will encourage
  Household/Community septic tanks
• Service differentiation in WSS to facilitate
  appropriate pricing of affordable and
  non-affordable groups.
• Policy, legislative and regulatory measures to
  enforce decentralized WSS systems
• Institutional mechanism to conceive, guide and
  implement legislative and regulatory measures.

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Sustainable WSS in PUI Stakeholder Matrix
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(No Transcript)
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Reforms in the PUI to implement Stakeholder Matrix

• Suggested WSS reform Principles
• 1. Separation of water resource management from
  water supply and sanitation.
• 2. Separation of regulatory and executive
  functions.
• 3. Decentralisation and devolution of authority
  and responsibility to Local Government,
  Communities and private enterprises.
• 4. Appropriate institutional mechanism to link
  the multitude of local bodies with supporting
  managerial/technical expertise
• 5. Achievement of full cost recovery for the
  water supply and sanitation services through user
  charges in the long run.
• 6. Human Resource Development leading to more
  effective institutions.
• 7. Use of Technologies more appropriate to local
  conditions.
• 8. Encouraging and promoting micro-enterprises in
  WSS
• 9. Establishing Regulatory Authority to enforce
  reform initiatives

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WSS Regulatory Mechanism

• There is urgent need to establish a WSS Regulator
  in the CMA. Suggested
• functions of the Regulator are
• Licensing all service providers defining the
  service area and cost of service
• Monitor service standards, quality, customer
  protection and imposing
• sanctions for failure to meet agreed
  standards.
• Aspects to be considered while setting up the
  Regulatory mechanism
• Water supply and sanitation sector has functions
  across several
• Government departments and Community
  organisations. Its regulatory function should
  therefore give all stakeholders an opportunity to
  participate in the decision making process.
• Potable water being a basic need with health,
  economic and social
• implications its administration should be
  apolitical.
• Independent and professional decision-making is
  essential to foster financial and technical
  efficiency in the sector.

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Suggested functions of the Regulator

• Primary responsibility is to ensure improved
  service standards and
• increased accessibility and protection of the
  consumers. In pursuit
• thereof the regulator would
• Advise State government and local government
  authorities on all matters relating to water
  supply and sanitation, including new actors, on
  institutional arrangements as well as other
  activities relating to the provision of water
• License all water supply and sanitation service
  providers as well as other activities relating to
  the provision of water
• Issue guidelines, regulations and standards
• Monitor the performance and activities of the
  providers and
• Disseminate information to consumers

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Environment Management Plan as Reform Tool

• EMP Objectives
• Establishing a stronger partnership between
  Government and the community to address
  environmental concerns
• Meeting higher community expectations related to
  environment issues
• Mapping and optimal utilisation of natural
  resources
• Continually improving ecologically sustainable
  development
• Ongoing community consultation in the
  decision-making process
• Managing the risk during adverse economic, social
  and environmental events
• Complying with all legislation and regulations
  and
• Maintaining environmental standards at the
  highest practical possible level.

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EMP in Chennai PUI

• Exponential growth is taking place in the PUI of
  Chennai Metropolis
• This is mainly due to the boom in the IT Industry
  and Business Process Outsourcing as well as rapid
  outer road construction.
• Some corridors like the Old Mahabalipuram Road
  and East Coast Road are heading for High Rise -
  High Density Commercial cum Residential
  development.
• This will badly damage the water resources and
  quality as well as sanitation of the area which
  is already under severe strain.
• EMP should therefore prioritise WSS management in
  the PUI
• Government of Tamil Nadu have sought the
  assistance of SUSTAIN in preparing EMP for Water
  Sanitation Governance on the IT Corridor as
  part of this project.

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WSS Governance in Chennai PUI The Road Map

• Learn the correct lessons
• Lay down the basic parameters
• Define the role of stakeholders
• Decentralise WSS activities and enhance community
  participation
• Reform WSS governance to institutionalise
  stakeholder roles
• Establish Regulatory mechanism to enforce reforms
• Outline Regulators role and responsibilities -
  legislate the same
• Prepare EMP for the PUI
• Prioritise WSS in the EMP
• Implement the EMP honestly and sincerely.
• Thank
  You