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Guided by: Prof. Sheema Fatima

Submitted by: Devyani Totala

 Barriers to Expanding Centralised Sanitation Systems in Emerging Cities:
Notes from Doddaballapur in Karnataka

Kumar D S
Anu Karippal

SUMMARY

300 words
The ever growing population and urban migration have a great impact on the provision of basic services and pose a
huge challenge in the cities.People rely on household solutions, like bore well for groundwater and construction of
soak pits and septic tanks for sanitation. To manage the sanitation needs of the growing towns, centralised sewage
treatment system is required. The investment in this type of infrastructure is uneven, costly and results in a mix of
centralised and decentralized systems.
Through the case study of Doddaballapur, the barriers in bringing this transition are highlighted.Nearly 90% of
households in the town were reported to have toilets while others practice open defecation.The households traditionally
depended on soak pits to dispose of black water. But,since 1990, the households dispose the household waste water
into open drains resulting in pollution of water bodies. To prevent water pollution, the underground drainage system
was introduced in the city in 2017.
The authors employed structured questionnaires and unstructured interviews to study the gap between planned and
actual connections of the city. They interviewed 20 households of lower middle class group from three wards.
Qualitative data regarding the underground sanitation network was collected.
This study helped them to identify the potential barriers in connecting to a centralised underground drainage(UGD) in
Doddaballapur.
The main barriers identified in this transition from decentralized systems to a centralised one, are: financial-high cost of
the UGD connection, perception -misconception regarding maintenance and outcome, availability of water- inadequate
water supply for waste removal and institutional barriers- gap in connections due to rising population.
The authors conclude that emerging towns and cities are implementing the model of moving from local disposal of
blackwater to a centralised STP
without the sufficient understanding of the local barrier,addressing the growing sanitation needs of peri-urban towns
is challenging.

150 words
The provision of basic amenities to the growing population in the cities is difficult.
To address the sanitation needs,households need to be connected to a centralised system network of pipelines and
centralised treatment plants.Infrastructure investment in this type of infrastructure is uneven, costly and results in a
mix of centralised and decentralized systems.
Through the case study of Doddaballapur, the authors have studied the gap between planned and actual centralised
connections of the city by interviewing 20 households of lower income groups from three wards.
This study helped them to identify the potential barriers in connecting to a centralised underground drainage(UGD) in
Doddaballapur.
The main barriers identified in this transition from decentralized systems to a centralised one, are: financial,
perceptional, availability of water and institutional barriers.
The authors conclude that without the sufficient understanding of the local barriers, addressing the growing sanitation
needs of peri-urban towns is challenging.
50 words
Peri urban towns rely on traditional sanitation systems like soak pit and septic tanks. To manage the increasing needs,
the households need to be connected to a centralised system.This transition is uneven and costly. Through the case
study of Doddaballapur,this article helps in identifying the barriers to such a change.