Page 62 - CIJ April 2025- Digital Edition

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Sustainability Assessment

O&M of Waste Management Plants in UP

Starting with a single treatment plant in 2018, the state now operates 59 plants, comprising 39 faecal sludge
treatment plants (FSTPs) and 20 co-treatment facilities. Most of these plants were constructed by Jal Nigam,
the technical wing of Department of Urban Development, UP and later transferred to the urban local bodies
(ULBs) for operation and maintenance (O&M). Hari Prakash Haihyvanshi and Subrata Chakraborty, Centre for
Science and Environment, have prepared an assessment report of the O&M arrangement in the state based on
research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Here is an extract.

ttar Pradesh has made of treatment plants has been delayed (SFC) funds and AMRUT Mitra
significant strides in improving by over a year due to various reasons. programme for SHGs. The ULB
sanitation through faecal sludge When the handover finally took and SHG-managed plants are more
and septage management place, it was limited to a single page cost-effective than those managed
U(FSSM). The CSE study was that simply listed a broad inventory. by contractors. However, dedicated
aimed to conduct a landscaping Key documents such as the detailed efforts are required to enhance their
of the existing operation and project report (DPR), warranty utilization.
maintenance arrangements in place papers for electro-mechanical units, The contractor-managed plants
till September 2024. and operational manuals were not demonstrate higher capacity utilization
The objective of the study was provided to the ULBs by the Jal (42% on average) compared to ULB
to review the existing operation Nigam or the contractors responsible and SHG-managed plants (18%
and maintenance arrangements at for constructing the plants. In the on average). Low prioritization of
FSSM plants, analyse the financial absence of operation manual and desludging by ULBs contributes to
and other factors that contribute to other related documents, ULBs faced underutilization. Payment delays
the functionality and sustainability challenges in operating the plants and exceeding three months were observed
of the treatment plants and identify obtaining warranty-based repairs for in seven out of 12 plants, severely
areas of improvement and provide electro-mechanical components. impacting SHGs and contractors.
recommendations with a focus The plants are primarily operated The delay is mainly caused by poor
on enhancing functionality and by one of three entities: the ULB, coordination among stakeholders,
sustainability of the plants. SHGs or a contractor. ULBs are rather than a lack of funds.
The functionality and sustainability using three sources for funding the Only 14 plants maintain daily
of FSTPs depend heavily on their O&M expenses: own-source revenue records, and only four submit
effective O&M. In UP, the handover (OSR), State Finance Commission monthly reports as per the format
62 APRIL 2025•Clean India Journal•www.cleanindiajournal.com