Page 63 - CIJ April 2025- Digital Edition

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Collection Transportation Planted Drying Beds

Dewats Planted Gravel Filter Polishing Pond

issued by the government. No ULBs contract terms to clearly define effectively. The success of this
have conducted quality testing of the terms of engagement, role and arrangement could provide a scalable
treated water or bio-solids. Out of responsibilities, payment terms and solution for other ULBs, promoting
seven reviewed contracts, three penalty clauses. Establish robust the efficient management of FSSM
requires to define clear terms, systems for timely payments to services over the long term, without
including payment clauses, roles and contractors and SHGs to maintain incurring additional financial costs on
responsibilities, penalty provisions, service quality. This is an important the ULB.
and performance standards. In component in ensuring the The findings from Uttar Pradesh’s
addition, short contract duration leads sustainability of the plant operations. FSSM journey offer critical learnings
to increased administrative efforts ULBs may consider establishing for sanitation planning in other parts
and lack of continuity. an escrow account to ensure timely of India and developing countries in
The competition between the ULB payment to contractors. the Global South. Cities must adopt
and the contractor in providing the Additionally, mandate the use of decentralized approaches tailored
desludging services has restricted SOPs for O&M of FSTPs and Co- to their specific needs, integrating
the contractor’s revenue to 25,000- treatment Plants in Uttar Pradesh and municipal, community-led, and
45,000 INR per month, which is ensure that all plant operators adhere private sector participation for
inadequate to sustain the plant to the prescribed schedules to operate efficient service delivery. Ensuring
operations effectively. Discussions and maintain the treatment plants financial sustainability requires
with the contractor and further efficiently. Cities to prepare a city- innovative funding mechanisms,
analysis indicate that transferring level desludging plan, prioritizing including escrow accounts and
all desludging requests and fees scheduled desludging from user fee-based models. Capacity
to the contractor could make this government institutions and raising building is essential, with municipal
arrangement financially viable. public awareness about regular bodies requiring enhanced technical
The report makes the following desludging practices to increase plant expertise and contract management
skills. Transparent monitoring
recommendations, including utilisation rate. practices, including regular
strengthening the handover process. ULBs could direct all desludging quality-testing of treated water and
Standardize handover protocol requests and fees to the contractor robust record-keeping, must be
including documents like detailed to en-sure long-term sustainability institutionalized to ensure long-term
project reports (DPRs), warranty of desludging fee-based O&M efficiency.
papers, and operational manuals to model, enabling them to generate
avoid operational hurdles. Improve enough revenue to operate the plant Compiled by Rajashri Ramakrishnan
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