Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Balakrishnan, Sai
Other Authors: Bishwapriya Sanyal.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45374
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author Balakrishnan, Sai
author2 Bishwapriya Sanyal.
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Balakrishnan, Sai
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description Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008.
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spelling mit-1721.1/453742019-04-11T00:31:55Z Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India Two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements Balakrishnan, Sai Bishwapriya Sanyal. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. Urban Studies and Planning. Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-95). A central challenge facing municipalities in developing countries is the successful maintenance of sanitation services for their urban poor. Not only are municipalities struggling to cope with increased sanitation coverage to their urban poor, but the challenge of successful sanitation delivery is further compounded by the poor maintenance of sanitation systems, thus rendering the existing infrastructure unusable. This thesis focuses on septic tank maintenance in tenements' in small municipalities in Erode district, India. The findings of this thesis are that the desired outcome of good sanitation maintenance in the Erode tenements is due to variables that are often overlooked in the maintenance literature and also due to unexpected processes that defy conventional wisdom on effective service delivery for the urban poor. Three variables that contributed to good sanitation maintenance in the Erode tenements are: 1) design: the location of the septic tank system played an important role in maintenance, 2) bundling of services: linking septic tank maintenance to use of public taps helped tenement residents monitor and enforce septic tank maintenance, and 3) decentralization: the changing relationship between the tenement residents and the municipality, through the process of decentralization, from a patron-client one to one akin a commercial transaction, partially explains the good performance in septic tank maintenance. The findings of this thesis shed light on the variables that do matter for good sanitation maintenance and show how incentives and institutional arrangements can be structured differently to achieve the desired outcome of well-maintained, long-lived sanitation systems. by Sai Balakrishnan. M.C.P. 2009-04-29T17:32:31Z 2009-04-29T17:32:31Z 2008 2008 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45374 317140455 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 95 p. application/pdf a-ii--- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Urban Studies and Planning.
Balakrishnan, Sai
Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India
title Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India
title_full Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India
title_fullStr Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India
title_full_unstemmed Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India
title_short Desired outcomes, unexpected processes : two stories of sanitation maintenance in Erode tenements, India
title_sort desired outcomes unexpected processes two stories of sanitation maintenance in erode tenements india
topic Urban Studies and Planning.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45374
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