Government Of Telangana Announces Scheduled Desludging In Urban Local Bodies Across The State

Hyderabad: Highlighting their commitment towards safeguarding environmental quality, public health, compliance with Swachh Survekshan protocols and achieving ParisubraminaPattanalu of the "PattanaPragathi Programme," the Government of Telangana announced scheduled desludging across 142 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) covering the state. As one of the first states in India to implement a Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) policy, the Telangana government has committed their support to establish Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) in all ULBs and complementing this with scheduled desludging once every 3 years, as recommended vide guidelines issued as a part of the National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) policy launched by the Ministry of Urban Development with support and inputs from the NFSSM Alliance. Telangana is the first state in the country to notify the scheduled desludging of onsite toilets in all ULBs.

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The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) has joined hands with the Telangana Government as a knowledge partner to provide support for training and handholding of ULBs to ensure proper planning, implementation, and monitoring of the scheduled desludging.

"In a scenario where the larger part of the country is dependent upon on-site sanitation systems, FSSM is essential to ensure city wide inclusive sanitation. The safe management and treatment of faecal sludge goes a long way towards securing public health and the environment. Proper and timely desludging, along with safe disposal and treatment, are of prime importance. Timely desludging of septic tanks will improve their treatment efficiency. While FSTPs are necessary for ensuring the safe disposal and treatment of faecal sludge, the maximum utilization of their capabilities can only be actioned through regular desludging," said Prof. V. Srinivas Chary, Director of the Centre for Urban Governance, Environment, Energy and Infrastructure Development at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI).

The scheduled desludging will include the geo-tagging of all the septic tanks in residential and institutional areas, as well as public and community toilets in cities. While ULBs are responsible for payments to private desludging operators, the cost of desludging will be borne by households, institutions, and commercial establishments. However, to reduce the financial stress on economically marginalised sections, a differential pricing structure with pro-poor tariffs has been provided.

Highlighting the inclusive aspects of FSSM, Dr Y Malini Reddy, Professor in Urban Governance Area, ASCI, and member of the NFSSM Alliance, said, "Given that septic tanks, pits, and other on-site sanitation systems are not emptied regularly, scheduled desludging is an important step in ensuring the success of the FSSM model. Desludging services are a significant part of the sanitation value chain and hold many opportunities for the inclusion of women and setting precedents for maximising the physical safety of sanitation workers who carry out this process. Assigning the responsibility of scheduled desludging to ULBs is also necessary to encourage sanitation for all by reducing the costs involved in desludging for the economically marginalised sections, thereby ensuring that they are not excluded from the ambit of safe sanitation."