(Figure-2: Selecting technology for improved O&M in non- sewered systems. Source: Asian Development Bank)

Based on the choice of infrastructure for FSTPs, and the mode of emptying (scheduled vs on-demand), the Operating and Maintenance budget, capacity, and staff requirements will change significantly. Scheduled FSM is more complex that on-demand emptying, and advanced mechanical fecal sludge treatment systems require large operating budgets, and more qualified staff as well.

• Key components for development of an O&M Plan for Treatment Plants
  • Assessment of Plant Layout and Hydraulic Profile
    • Provides information on each step in the treatment train. Includes Written description, Operating requirements, Technical specifications. Useful for orienting new workers and as a reference guide for seasoned staff
    • Hydraulic profile helps with the visualization of the flow pattern within the plant from one component to the next. It is useful for contractors during the layout and construction phase to ensure proper depths of tank holes, and can be useful in troubleshooting operational problems
  • Asset Management: This is a combination of management, financial, economic, engineering, and other practices applied to physical assets with the objective of providing the required level of service in the most cost‐effective manner. It considers asset inventory, lifecycle costing, routine and emergency repairs, financing for replacement equipment and critical assets
  • Regular, Scheduled and Proactive Tasks – To assure long term functionality of the treatment system while avoiding and mitigating the consequences of system breakdown or failure. This includes Maintenance Plans, Documentation and record-keeping, routine maintenance
  • Monitoring of Effluents and Discharge – This provides a measure of how effectively the plant is running, and the success of other O&M measures. It is critical for regulatory compliance as well, and includes the activities for periodic sampling, testing, evaluating, reporting.
  • Operator Health & Safety – PPEs, safety practices, Immunization, etc
  • Staffing – Clear Job descriptions and well-established hierarchies
    • Job descriptions inform the employee about their specific role in the organization and what is expected of them.
    • Org Charts are useful to describe the lines of communication and inform employees where they fit in the overall organization
  • Security - Septage treatment plants may be considered an attractive nuisance. Security measures such as fencing help keep trespassers out, workers safe., and facilities operational during adverse conditions.

Based on the choice of infrastructure, and availability of service providers in a city, FSM plans must prepare cost projections for O&M for a set period of time, develop strategies to source revenue for these O&M activities, and prepare well-designed business models and contractual arrangements with partners and service providers.

For instance, O&M costs for scheduled emptying services would include fuel costs, repair and maintenance costs for suction emptier trucks, establishment expenses (accounting for human resources), as well overheads, insurance, and other miscellaneous costs. Similar costs for treatment facilities would include the energy costs in place of the fuel costs. The total O&M costs as such will provide an estimate for the extent of revenue recovery that may be necessary based on the financing source for the ULB.

Identifying possible revenue sources is important for reducing cost for government agencies and to help make FSM services sustainable. Taxes, Tariff, Trade and Transfers can act as potential revenue sources for the towns. An Odisha study identified revenue sources as user fees for services, revenue from sale of treated dry sludge, revenue from registration of private operators, and even from collection of tipping fees at FSTPs. Business models must be able to clearly identify who is responsible for desludging trucks (ULB/private operators), who operates the FSTP (philanthropy/private operator/ULB), where the revenue for the operator comes from (user fees, services, ULB/Govt, etc).

From demand side, sanitation problem received a lot of attention from the government, development community, and private sector. However, from supply-side, particularly those who perform sanitation labor, remain overlooked and have not made significant progress beyond token measures. The official records only include a small number of types of sanitary labor, and even within these categories, only employees of the government are counted. Cleaning drains or even cleaning toilets by domestic workers do not qualify as sanitation work, especially who are employed via subcontractors. Their access to government, nonprofit, and private sector programs and assistance is prohibited. Hence, the government of India and some states have formulated schemes to benefit the sanitation workers.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) collaborated to create NAMASTE, a central sector scheme. By establishing an enabling ecosystem that acknowledges sanitation workers as one of the key contributors in the O&M of sanitation infrastructure, NAMASTE aims to,

• Ensure the safety and dignity of sanitation workers
• Provide sanitation workers with a sustainable source of income and improve their occupational safety
• Give access to safety equipment and machinery
• Offer support for alternate sources of income
• Reduce the vulnerabilities of sanitation workers
• Gives them access to opportunities for self-employment and skilled wage work
• Eliminate generational gaps in the sanitation industry

Some of the key initiatives ensuring safety and rights of sanitation work includes:

To best suit the local context, the city government must make informed decisions on the technology being used and the O&M needs for these choices. At a basic level, the extent of management and staffing capacity, scope of regulations, having reliable water supply, an estimate of lifecycle costs, revenue generation, land and utility availability, and an estimate of number of users are crucial to opt for specific solutions. The choice made should clearly address a problem in the sanitation value chain, and also provide a service-level improvement for end-users that they may be willing to pay for.

For complex technologies, institutional and financial considerations also come into play. ULBs must be able to accommodate the higher capacity of management system and staffing required, ensure revenues and fund transfers are adequate to accommodate increasing operating budgets, provide robust IT to manage and monitor systems, and have committed political support and willingness to adjust standards and charge realistic tariffs to operate more complex technology. ULBs must also identify a mandated institution or utility that would be accountable for maintaining service levels and enforce standards. In the absence of these considerations, the simplest, most basic technology allowed by the available land will be preferable. In most cases, there will be a need to manage simple technologies better, build capacity via experience, and increase revenue through delivery of improved services.