Transforming Informal Settlements through Inclusive Infrastructure
Hyderabad, the bustling capital of Telangana, India, is a study in contrasts. The city’s gleaming skyscrapers and vibrant tech hub stand in stark juxtaposition to the sprawling, under-served slums that house nearly a third of its population. For decades, the city’s rapid urbanization has outpaced its ability to provide reliable access to core water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, leaving countless families in informal settlements struggling to meet their most basic needs.
However, a remarkable shift is underway. Driven by committed local leaders, innovative financing mechanisms, and strategic community partnerships, Hyderabad is pioneering new models to transform WASH infrastructure in its marginalized neighborhoods. These pioneering efforts offer valuable lessons for other cities grappling with the challenge of providing equitable access to essential services.
Bridging the WASH Divide through Collaborative Initiatives
Historically, Hyderabad’s informal settlements have been neglected by traditional top-down approaches to urban development. Lacking secure land tenure and political clout, slum dwellers have long been excluded from the city’s infrastructure plans and investment priorities. As a result, many residents have been forced to rely on makeshift, unsafe, and expensive alternatives to meet their water and sanitation needs.
“We had to walk nearly a kilometer to fetch water from a public tap,” recalls Fatima, a resident of the Bandlaguda Jagir slum. “The water was often contaminated, and we had to wait in long queues for hours just to fill a few buckets.”
Recognizing the urgent need for change, the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) has partnered with civil society organizations, community groups, and development agencies to pilot innovative WASH interventions in the city’s most under-served areas. These collaborative efforts have yielded remarkable results, transforming the lived experiences of slum residents and catalyzing broader shifts in the city’s approach to urban service delivery.
Bringing Water to the Doorstep
One such initiative, the Hyderabad Slum Networking Program, has worked to extend piped water connections directly to individual households in informal settlements. By leveraging community participation and microfinance, the program has enabled residents to access reliable, affordable water at their doorsteps.
“The program helped us install a water tap right in our home,” says Fatima. “Now, we can access clean water whenever we need it, without having to walk long distances or wait in queues.”
The program’s success hinges on its collaborative, community-driven approach. HMC provides the infrastructure and technical expertise, while residents contribute a small upfront fee and agree to pay monthly water bills. This shared responsibility fosters a sense of ownership and ensures the long-term sustainability of the service.
Pioneering Decentralized Sanitation Solutions
Alongside efforts to improve water access, Hyderabad has also experimented with decentralized sanitation models to address the persistent challenge of inadequate toilet facilities in informal settlements. The city’s Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS) project has introduced small-scale, community-managed wastewater treatment plants in several slums.
“Before DEWATS, we had no choice but to rely on open defecation or unsafe, shared pit latrines,” explains Rajeev, a resident of the Mustaidpura slum. “Now, we have our own toilet blocks connected to the treatment plant, which ensures our waste is properly managed and disposed of.”
The DEWATS approach empowers local communities to take ownership of their sanitation infrastructure. Residents contribute a small fee towards the operation and maintenance of the treatment facilities, fostering a sense of pride and responsibility. This model not only improves health and hygiene but also generates valuable byproducts, such as treated water for gardening and biogas for cooking, further enhancing the system’s sustainability.
Catalyzing Change through Collaborative Governance
The success of these WASH initiatives in Hyderabad can be attributed to a shift in the city’s approach to urban service delivery, moving away from top-down, technocratic solutions towards more collaborative, community-centric models. By actively engaging slum residents as partners, the HMC has tapped into local knowledge, built trust, and fostered a shared commitment to improving WASH access and outcomes.
“The key has been to recognize slum dwellers as valuable stakeholders, not just passive beneficiaries,” explains Anjali Mahendra, the director of urban development at the World Resources Institute India. “The municipality has worked closely with community groups to co-design solutions that address their unique needs and constraints.”
This collaborative governance approach has also enabled the HMC to leverage diverse funding sources, including municipal budgets, private sector contributions, and development aid, to finance WASH infrastructure investments in informal settlements. By blending these resources and aligning them with community priorities, the city has been able to deliver more impactful and sustainable outcomes.
Scaling Up Success through Knowledge Sharing and Policy Reform
The WASH transformation in Hyderabad’s slums has not gone unnoticed. The city’s innovative models have garnered national and international attention, inspiring other urban centers to follow suit. Through strategic knowledge-sharing initiatives, Hyderabad is actively disseminating its lessons and best practices to help other cities replicate its successes.
“We’ve hosted study tours and capacity-building workshops for municipal officials and community leaders from across India,” says Mahendra. “The goal is to empower other cities to adopt a similar collaborative, community-driven approach to improve WASH access in their own informal settlements.”
Beyond sharing knowledge, Hyderabad is also advocating for policy reforms at the state and national levels to create an enabling environment for inclusive WASH infrastructure development. The city has worked closely with the Telangana government to revise policies and regulations that previously hindered the provision of services in informal settlements, such as the requirement for formal land titles to access water and sanitation connections.
“By engaging with policymakers and showcasing the tangible benefits of our community-led WASH initiatives, we’ve been able to catalyze important policy changes,” says Mahendra. “This has cleared the way for scaling up our successful models to reach more of the city’s under-served populations.”
Building Resilient, Sustainable WASH Systems
As Hyderabad continues to evolve its WASH infrastructure, the city is also looking to the future, incorporating strategies to enhance the resilience and environmental sustainability of its service delivery models. This includes exploring nature-based solutions, such as groundwater recharge and wetland restoration, to secure long-term water supplies, and investing in renewable energy-powered treatment facilities to reduce the carbon footprint of sanitation systems.
“Resilience and sustainability are key priorities as we build upon the successes of our community-led WASH initiatives,” explains Mahendra. “We want to ensure that the progress we’ve made can be maintained and enhanced in the face of emerging challenges, from climate change to rapid urbanization.”
By blending technical innovation with inclusive governance and strong community partnerships, Hyderabad is charting a path towards a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable urban future. The city’s pioneering WASH initiatives offer a compelling model for other cities grappling with the urgent need to bridge the services divide and deliver essential infrastructure to their most marginalized residents.
As Fatima, the Bandlaguda Jagir resident, reflects, “The changes we’ve seen in our community have been truly transformative. We now have access to clean water and proper sanitation, which has improved our health, saved us time and money, and given us a sense of dignity and empowerment. This is the kind of change every slum dweller deserves.”
