A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1993

This study reviews the institutional arrangements at Ahmedabad for the delivery of sewerage and storm drainage services. The agencies responsible are the Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the municipal limits and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) for the urban fringe areas. In recent years, these agencies have been unable to meet the city's requirements for these services. The lack of finance, the use of inappropriate technology and the nature of the institutional arrangements have been identified as three major constraints in the service delivery, of which the third is the focus of the study. At Ahmadabad, several alternate arrangements have emerged as attempts to overcome the deficiencies in the services. Assuming that the public agencies will continue to be at least partially responsible for the delivery of these two services due to their "public goods" characteristics, their changed role as "facilitators" rather than "providers" of the services is investigated. The areas found deficient in terms of the access to and installation of the services are the recently annexed East Ahmadabad area, the slums and squatter settlements and the western fringes of the city. The nature of the supply by the alternate agencies corresponds to the demand specific to each area, its physical features, legal status and the socio-economic characteristics of the residents. In East Ahmadabad, the alternate services are largely different types of site specific services installed by private developers and individuals. In the slum areas, the services are provided by NGOs and CBOs as part of the schemes for services for the urban poor instituted by the Central Government. In the western fringes, a number of agencies are active including the individuals, private developers, Gram Panchayats and District Panchayats. The responsible institutions are unable to effectively deliver the services due to their legislative bases, organizational structures, working procedures, practices of finance and staff management, and the standards imposed. Their links to other organizations, however, indicate a potential for improved service delivery. The alternate agencies focus on the access and installation of the services only. The major constraints faced by the NGOs and CBOs participating in service delivery for the poor are the sustenance of the community organization, and the lack of access to credit and technical support. Their efforts are found to be more effective when the women of the community are mobilized. The private installation of drains is piecemeal following the high and middle income housing development. The construction is also substandard affecting the operation of the services. The Gram Panchayats are activated by the Sarpanches but do not have sufficient technical capacity and the District Panchayats are limited to a very small area. The on-site services are poorly constructed and maintained. Scenarios simulating future development indicate the need to incorporate the alternate arrangements for more equitable service delivery closer to the needs of the people, the resistance of the responsible agencies to change and the factors likely to affect the success of strategies proposed for the integration of the various institutional arrangements, mandated and alternate. Further research is suggested to determine the implementation of strategies such that the various actors involved in service delivery have positive stakes in the system.