Addressing the Urban Services Divide through Holistic Interventions
The rapidly growing city of Hyderabad, India, exemplifies the stark inequities plaguing many urban centers in the global South. Millions live in informal settlements, struggling daily to access basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, while wealthier neighborhoods enjoy reliable infrastructure and green spaces. This disparity not only diminishes quality of life for the urban poor but also undermines the city’s overall prosperity, health, and environmental sustainability.
However, Hyderabad’s story need not be one of entrenched inequality. By intentionally integrating WASH and urban greening initiatives, the city can transform the lives of marginalized residents while generating cascading benefits for the entire community. This holistic approach has the power to narrow the urban services divide, improve resilience to climate change, and set Hyderabad on a path towards a more equitable, livable, and sustainable future.
Bridging the WASH Gap in Hyderabad’s Informal Settlements
Hyderabad is home to over 9 million people, with a rapidly expanding urban footprint. Approximately 40% of the city’s residents live in informal settlements that lack access to basic WASH services. These underserved communities face severe challenges:
Water Access: Only about 60% of households in informal settlements have access to piped water, with many relying on expensive, unsafe, and unreliable alternative sources.
Sanitation: Less than 40% of informal settlement residents are connected to the city’s sewerage network. Open defecation and unsafe disposal of human waste are common, leading to the contamination of water sources and elevated health risks.
Hygiene: Communal water taps and toilets are often overburdened, hindering good hygiene practices. Handwashing facilities are scarce, making it difficult for residents to protect themselves from waterborne illnesses, especially during disease outbreaks.
These WASH deprivations have far-reaching consequences. Lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation exacerbates the spread of communicable diseases, undermines child health and development, and imposes significant economic costs on households and the city as a whole. The urban poor, who are least able to afford these burdens, end up paying the highest price.
Integrating WASH and Urban Greening for Transformative Change
To break this vicious cycle, Hyderabad must pivot towards a more holistic, people-centered approach that addresses the interdependencies between WASH, environmental quality, and community well-being. By strategically integrating investments in WASH infrastructure and services with the expansion of urban green spaces, the city can catalyze transformative change.
Priority Action 1: Expand Equitable Access to WASH Services
Hyderabad should prioritize upgrading WASH infrastructure and service delivery in informal settlements, ensuring reliable access to clean water, safe sanitation, and handwashing facilities. This will require:
- Extending the piped water network and constructing decentralized water treatment systems to serve underserved areas.
- Expanding the sewerage system and promoting innovative, community-led sanitation solutions like container-based toilets and fecal sludge management.
- Installing public handwashing stations and promoting hygiene education campaigns.
- Providing targeted subsidies and flexible financing mechanisms to make WASH services affordable for low-income households.
Priority Action 2: Integrate Urban Greening with WASH Improvements
Simultaneously, Hyderabad should strategically integrate urban greening initiatives into WASH upgrades, leveraging the synergies between these complementary interventions. Key actions include:
- Developing neighborhood-level green infrastructure, such as community gardens, urban forests, and permeable surfaces, to enhance stormwater management, reduce urban heat, and improve air quality.
- Incorporating nature-based solutions, like constructed wetlands and bioswales, into decentralized WASH systems to improve wastewater treatment and groundwater recharge.
- Establishing green buffers and urban parks around informal settlements to provide residents with recreational spaces, improve environmental quality, and increase property values.
- Engaging community members in the design and maintenance of integrated WASH-green infrastructure projects to foster a sense of ownership and sustainability.
Priority Action 3: Strengthen Governance, Financing, and Partnerships
To enable the successful integration of WASH and urban greening, Hyderabad must strengthen its governance capacities, financing mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder partnerships:
- Align policies, regulations, and institutional mandates across WASH, urban planning, and environmental management domains to facilitate coordinated action.
- Diversify financing sources, blending public funds, private investments, and community contributions to support comprehensive, long-term initiatives.
- Foster partnerships between municipal authorities, community organizations, civil society groups, and the private sector to leverage expertise, resources, and community engagement.
Catalyzing Citywide Transformation
By prioritizing these integrated WASH and urban greening initiatives in Hyderabad’s informal settlements, the city can trigger a cascade of benefits that transform the lives of marginalized residents and the city as a whole:
Improved Health and Wellbeing: Reliable access to clean water, safe sanitation, and green spaces will enhance public health, reduce the burden of waterborne diseases, and improve nutritional outcomes, especially for children.
Increased Resilience to Climate Change: Nature-based WASH solutions and urban greening will strengthen the city’s capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate risks, such as flooding, water scarcity, and urban heat island effects.
Enhanced Environmental Quality: Integrating WASH and green infrastructure will help restore urban ecosystems, recharge groundwater, and reduce pollution, leading to tangible improvements in air, soil, and water quality.
Expanded Economic Opportunities: Improved WASH services and access to green public spaces will boost productivity, increase property values, and create green jobs, generating multiplier effects across the local economy.
Strengthened Social Cohesion: Collaborative, community-driven approaches to WASH and urban greening initiatives can foster a greater sense of ownership, pride, and social inclusion among marginalized residents.
By harnessing these cascading benefits, Hyderabad can transform its trajectory, moving away from entrenched inequality and toward a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous future for all its citizens. Other cities in the global South facing similar challenges can learn from Hyderabad’s experience and adapt these integrated WASH-greening strategies to their local contexts.
The time for action is now. By prioritizing the integration of WASH and urban greening initiatives in Hyderabad’s informal settlements, the city can unlock a virtuous cycle of human development, environmental regeneration, and inclusive economic growth – a model for sustainable urbanization that can inspire cities around the world.
Visit the Joint Action for Water website to learn more about innovative solutions for improving water, sanitation, and hygiene in underserved communities.
