Empowering Marginalized Communities Through Collaborative WASH Interventions
Access to safe, reliable, and affordable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services is a fundamental human right, yet millions of urban residents across the global South continue to be denied this basic necessity. In Hyderabad, India’s fourth-largest city, the stark divide between the haves and have-nots in WASH service provision has perpetuated cycles of poverty, poor health, and environmental degradation for far too long.
However, a growing number of community-led initiatives are demonstrating how collaborative, context-specific approaches can transform WASH service delivery, empowering marginalized populations and catalyzing citywide improvements. By partnering with local stakeholders, leveraging innovative financing mechanisms, and prioritizing inclusive governance, Hyderabad’s informal settlement dwellers are asserting their right to clean water and dignified sanitation – and cities around the world can learn from their success.
Confronting the Urban WASH Crisis in Hyderabad’s Informal Settlements
Hyderabad is a rapidly growing metropolis, home to over 10 million people. Yet the city’s breakneck expansion has left many residents, particularly those living in informal settlements, without access to basic WASH services. Recent estimates indicate that approximately 35% of Hyderabad’s population resides in informal settlements, often in densely populated areas lacking piped water, sewer connections, and adequate sanitation facilities.
For residents of these marginalized communities, the consequences are severe. Women and girls bear the brunt of the burden, spending hours each day fetching water from distant public taps or unsafe open sources. Families must resort to using unsanitary pit latrines or open defecation, exposing themselves to waterborne illnesses. Poor drainage and sanitation also contribute to recurring floods that devastate informal settlements, contaminating the local environment.
The disparities in WASH access are stark. While the city’s wealthier neighborhoods enjoy round-the-clock water supply and modern sewage networks, informal settlement dwellers often pay exorbitant prices for water from private vendors or community standpipes that operate just a few hours per day. This “poverty penalty” not only depletes household budgets but also perpetuates social and spatial inequalities, undermining the health and livelihoods of the urban poor.
Hyderabad’s WASH crisis is emblematic of broader challenges facing cities across the global South. Rapid urbanization, limited municipal resources, and entrenched socioeconomic divides have converged to create a situation where the most marginalized populations lack access to the most basic services. Addressing this crisis requires a fundamental shift in how WASH is planned, financed, and governed – moving away from top-down, technology-driven approaches toward more inclusive, community-centric models.
Unleashing the Transformative Potential of Community-Led WASH Initiatives
Across Hyderabad, grassroots organizations and informal settlement communities are pioneering innovative WASH solutions that are improving access, enhancing sustainability, and empowering marginalized residents. These community-led initiatives are proving that when given the right support and opportunities, local stakeholders can be the driving force behind equitable and lasting change.
Partnering for Participatory WASH Governance
One groundbreaking example is the Roshni Project, a collaboration between the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) and the non-profit organization Hyderabad Urban Lab. Recognizing the critical role of community engagement, the project involved residents of informal settlements in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of pilot WASH interventions.
Through a series of participatory mapping exercises and stakeholder consultations, the Roshni team worked closely with community members to understand their unique WASH challenges and priorities. This informed the design of context-specific solutions, such as the installation of decentralized water ATMs and community-managed public toilet facilities. Crucially, the project also established community-based WASH committees to oversee the operations and maintenance of these new services, ensuring long-term sustainability.
The Roshni model has yielded impressive results. By empowering informal settlement residents as active partners in WASH governance, the project has improved service reliability, reduced user conflicts, and fostered a greater sense of community ownership. Encouraged by this success, HMWS&SB has now integrated the Roshni approach into its citywide WASH planning, demonstrating how collaborative, community-driven initiatives can catalyze systemic change.
Harnessing Innovative Financing for WASH Equity
Lack of access to affordable financing is a major barrier preventing informal settlement communities from investing in WASH infrastructure. To address this challenge, organizations like Bollineni Foundation are pioneering innovative financing models that leverage crowdsourcing, microloans, and municipal partnerships.
One such initiative is the Koti Fundu program, which mobilizes community savings to fund the construction of public toilets in underserved neighborhoods. By organizing residents into self-help groups and providing access to small loans, the program enables marginalized communities to pool their resources and take ownership of the entire process – from site selection to facility management.
The Koti Fundu model has empowered informal settlement dwellers to become active agents of change, improving sanitation coverage and fostering a sense of collective responsibility. Crucially, the program also works closely with the HMWS&SB to secure land tenure and service connections, ensuring the long-term viability of these community-led initiatives.
Similar models, such as the Telangana State Development and Planning Society’s community-based revolving fund for household water connections, are further demonstrating how innovative financing can unlock WASH improvements for the urban poor. By combining crowdsourcing, microfinance, and strategic partnerships, these initiatives are reshaping the landscape of WASH service delivery in Hyderabad.
Leveraging Data and Technology for Inclusive WASH Planning
Effective WASH planning and monitoring often falls short in informal settlements due to a lack of granular data and engagement with local stakeholders. To address this gap, community-based organizations in Hyderabad are harnessing the power of digital tools and citizen science to amplify the voices of marginalized residents.
The Transparent Chennai initiative, for example, has trained community members to conduct detailed surveys of WASH infrastructure and service levels in their neighborhoods. This crowd-sourced data is then used to create interactive maps and dashboards that inform local planning and decision-making. By empowering informal settlement dwellers as co-producers of data, Transparent Chennai has fostered greater accountability and responsiveness from municipal authorities.
Similarly, the Telangana State Remote Sensing Applications Center (TRAC) has partnered with community groups to leverage satellite imagery and mobile applications for comprehensive WASH monitoring. This innovative approach combines cutting-edge technology with local knowledge, enabling the identification of service gaps and the targeted deployment of improvement strategies.
These data-driven, community-centric initiatives are not only improving the quality and coverage of WASH services but also strengthening the agency of marginalized populations. By positioning informal settlement residents as active participants in the information-gathering and planning processes, these programs are transforming the traditionally top-down nature of urban governance.
Scaling Up Community-Led WASH Innovations for Citywide Impact
The WASH success stories emerging from Hyderabad’s informal settlements demonstrate the immense potential of collaborative, community-driven approaches. By partnering with local stakeholders, leveraging innovative financing, and prioritizing data-informed, inclusive planning, these initiatives are not only improving service delivery but also empowering marginalized communities and catalyzing broader systemic change.
To scale up these transformative models and achieve sustainable, equitable WASH outcomes across Hyderabad, several key actions are crucial:
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Institutionalize Participatory Governance Frameworks: Municipal authorities should formalize mechanisms for meaningful community engagement in WASH planning, implementation, and monitoring. This includes establishing clear protocols for joint decision-making, resource allocation, and performance evaluation.
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Expand Access to Affordable WASH Financing: Local and national governments, as well as development partners, must increase investments in innovative financing instruments that enable marginalized communities to take ownership of WASH infrastructure and service provision.
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Strengthen Data, Transparency, and Accountability: WASH planning and monitoring must be driven by high-quality, granular data that reflects the lived experiences of informal settlement residents. Robust data systems, coupled with transparent information-sharing, can empower communities and foster greater accountability.
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Foster Cross-Sectoral Collaboration: Achieving sustainable and equitable WASH outcomes requires coordinated action across various urban sectors, from land tenure and housing to public health and environmental protection. Fostering a holistic, integrated approach can unlock synergies and address the complex, intersecting challenges facing informal settlements.
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Amplify Community Voices and Leadership: Grassroots organizations and informal settlement residents must be recognized as essential partners and agents of change in the WASH sector. Policymakers and development practitioners should actively support and amplify community-led initiatives, ensuring that marginalized voices shape the future of urban service delivery.
By embracing these principles and learning from the innovative models pioneered in Hyderabad’s informal settlements, cities across the global South can unlock the transformative potential of community-led WASH interventions. This collaborative, equity-focused approach holds the key to realizing the human right to water and sanitation for all urban residents, leaving no one behind.
