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Municipal Environmental Services and Institutional
Development Action Plan (MESIDAP)
6.1 Introduction
6.1.1 Objectives
The Municipal Strengthening and Environmental Services
Improvement Action Plan aims to achieve the ultimate goal
of a ”Sustainable and Equitable provision of improved
Environmental Services”. Further details on MESIDAP are
provided in Appendix H.
This is derived from the approach developed in the Municipal Environmental
Improvement Strategy (MEIS) and Strengthening Institutions and Resources
Strategy (SIRS), which is “access to basic environmental services for all and
sustainability in the processes of provision, operation, maintenance and funding of
environment-related municipal services throughout the CMA area and in particular
in those areas inhabited by lower income groups”.
The Environmental Services Improvement Programme objective, to provide,
“sustainable and equitable provision and management of improved environmental
services,” would be achieved through a series of actions at the municipal level with
a number of strengthening programmes of the local bodies, capacity building of the
DoMA and DoUD at the State level and development of a Community
Environmental Management Programme.
The GoI in the 74th Constitutional Amendment (CAA) and the GoWB in the West
Bengal Municipal Act 1993 and several Municipal Corporation Acts legislated
between 1980 and 1993, have accepted the principle of decentralisation of
municipal functions to the local body level. This process would be further
supported by the establishment of the Metropolitan Planning Committee. The
action plan recognises that there will be a need to strengthen local bodies if they
are to carry out the duties transferred to them under the Calcutta Municipal
Corporation Act, 1980 and the West Bengal Municipal Act 1993, and as
embodied in the 74th CAA.
The action plan therefore puts forward an integrated programme of physical,
institutional and community strengthening measures which are intended to
complement and reinforce each other. The components are phased to ensure
that the complexity of tasks to be addressed and institutional / community
capacity remain in step.
The general aim is to develop a service-led institutional framework, which would
enable the local bodies to achieve the ultimate goal, that is to provide a
sustainable and improved environmental services. Additionally, the plans put
forward would also be applicable to the local bodies outside CMA.
6.1.2 Background
Bearing in mind the interdependence of the various proposed interventions, the
Action Plan aims to take an integrated approach, with an emphasis on
strengthening the various organisations already involved in service provision and
improving the co-ordination between them. To achieve this goal it will be
necessary to strengthen the capacity of ULBs, and the best means of achieving
this will be to increase the capacity of the lead agencies, i.e. the Departments of
Municipal Affairs (DoMA) and Urban Development (DoUD) departments, to
provide the necessary support assistance and training. This requires definition of
the functions of each department, technical strengthening and establishment of
the proper linkages and communication among the departments and the
municipalities to create an integrated approach.
The assumption has been made that it is better to use existing organisations and
strengthening them where necessary, rather than create an additional level of
administration, and also that where possible, it is better to use existing well tried
legal provisions rather than recommend wholesale restructuring. In effect, to
begin with incremental improvements which are low cost to implement and
effective.
Equally fundamental to the achievement of equitable access to sustainable
environmental services is the empowerment of the community to enable
stakeholders to fully participate in the planning, provision and management of
local environmental services.
Thus the Municipal Environmental Services & Institutional Development
Action Plan comprises five basic elements which together combine to
achieve many of the key objectives of the Environmental Management
Strategy. These elements are :
Environmental Services Improvement Programme;
Municipal Institutional Strengthening Programme;
Programme for Strengthening the Departments of Municipal Affairs and Urban
Development;
Community Environmental Management Programme; and
Urban Land Management.
The relationship between these elements of the Action Plan are shown at Figure
6.1.
6.2 Links with Other Action Plans
There are a number of linkages between the MESIDAP and other Action Plans
included under the EMS, of which the most significant are between the Water
Source Protection component and the Wetlands Management component of
ISEMAP, the Municipal Waste Disposal sub-component and Industrial
Environmental Services Programme of the IUPCAP; the Local Environmental
Planning activity (Approach Paper) and the Environmental Planning function of
the DoE outlined in the ISEMAP; and the Community Environmental
Management Programme within MESIDAP and the PPW defined in the ISEMAP.
6.3 Linking with the Existing Investment Plans
There are major linkages between the Action Plan components and current plans
and programmes of GoI and GoWB in the area of environmental improvement.
The most significant are the estimated investments of Rs. 34,000 lakhs by CMDA
under Ganga Action Plan, Rs. 115,000 lakhs under the Megacity Project by
Figure 6.1 : Municipal Environmental Services and Institutional Development Action Plan (Component Linking Document)
Strengthening of
Departments of Municipal Municipal Institutional Community Environmental Environmental Services
Urban Land Management Affairs and Urban Strengthening Improvement
Management
Development
Improve linkages between MA / Improve linkages between
DoUD and its local bodies and Communities,
Strengthening CBOs, NGOs
Directorate of Local operating units and Local
Bodies, ILGUS, Bodies
Municipal Engineering
Directorate Central
Valuatn. Board etc.
Empower and Strengthen
Technical Capabilities Implement Community
Institutional Resource Mobilisation led, Municipal
Strengthening of and Organisation of Supported
Local Bodies Communities Environmental Services
Improvement
Projects on Pilot Scale
SUSTAINABLE AND
Improved
EQUITABLE Operate and
Cost recovery,
PROVISION Maintain
resource
AND MANAGEMENT Improved
mobilisation and
OF IMPROVED Services
service management
ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES
CMDA for water supply, sewerage & drainage, SWM, housing and new area
development, and basti improvement. The estimated investments in other
projects of CMDA are Rs. 5,050 lakhs in the minimum need programme and
CSIP. The CMC’s estimated investment is Rs. 49,000 lakhs, with the help of
HUDCO and an ADB loan, for water supply augmentation, and sewerage and
drainage rehabilitation.
6.4 Overview
The MESIDAP comprises five basic components:
Environmental Services Improvement Programme;
Municipal Institutional Strengthening Programme;
Departments of Municipal Affairs & Urban Development (DoMA / DoUD)
Strengthening Programme;
Community Environmental Management Programme; and
Urban Land Management.
Each of which is described in more detail below.
6.4.1 Departments of Municipal Affairs & Urban Development (DoMA
/ DoUD) Strengthening Programme
This programme seeks to support the DoMA / DoUD in developing linkages and
co-ordination between the Directorates and agencies under DoMA / DoUD, with
respect to their role and functions and resource mobilisation. These institutions
include : Directorate of Local Bodies (DLB), Institute of Local Government &
Urban Studies (ILGUS), Central Valuation Board (CVB), Municipal Engineering
Directorate (MED) and State Urban Development Authority (SUDA).
In addition the role of CMDA / CMWSA may be reviewed in light of the 74th
Constitutional Amendment, the West Bengal Municipal Act 1993, Corporation
Acts and the creation of the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC). Further
study of the implementation of the MPC has been undertaken an Immediate
Action Project.
6.4.2 Municipal Institutional Strengthening Programme
Institutional capacity building for environmental management seeks to foster the
development of those units within the municipal administration which will be
responsible for implementation of planning, management and service
implementation. The programme aimed at achieving these objectives is broken
down into a number of core components and tasks which would be :
Strengthening General Management;
Resource Mobilisation;
Strengthening Financial Management;
Strengthening Technical Management; and
Action Plan for Community Environmental Management.
The methodology proposed in the implementation of this programme and in order
to achieve institutional and skill development in municipalities and municipal
corporations is to hold discussions on a series of concept papers and action plan
guidelines prepared with the secondary stakeholders.
6.4.3 Community Environmental Management Programme
The 74th Amendment, and its devolution of greater powers and responsibilities
on environmental matters to urban local bodies, calls for a concerted effort in
developing community capacity in environmental service management.
CEMSAP’s Community Environmental Management Strategy (CEMS) is a means
to strengthen, enhance and develop the capability of the local bodies, outside the
formal administrative system. CEMS argues that through strengthening
collaboration between local government and community-based organisations,
municipal management can become more cost-effective, as well as more
sensitive and responsive to community needs, priorities and initiatives.
Furthermore, a greater degree of environmental justice for the people of Calcutta
can be achieved, and especially those who are most vulnerable.
The Community Environmental Management Programme seeks to facilitate such
a devolution of responsibilities for environmental services management at the
tertiary level, to local, community-based organisations. This involves :
empowering community- and neighbourhood-level institutions, with information,
guidance, linkages to authorities and to other organisations and networks, skill
development opportunities and resources to support community-based actions; and
strengthening local bodies, through building commitment to securing
improvements in service provision in low-income areas, enhancing their ability to
respond to community needs and priorities, and supporting their efforts at
improvement.
The process goal is active, informed, and capable participation by communities in
local area planning, service provision, infrastructure maintenance, resource
mobilisation and awareness raising, in close collaboration or partnership with the
local bodies.
The programme essentially involves integrating elements of existing practice, of
state and local governments, as well as NGOs and CBOs, into a comprehensive
system for community and municipal strengthening. Initially, this system will be
introduced in the context of a specific area. With this base, the approach will then
be extended to other CMA local bodies, as well as to urban local bodies in the
rest of West Bengal.
The Programme components are :
(i) (i) initiation of a community-based CEMSAP Immediate Action
Project on environmental service improvement, located in three wards of
Howrah. The objective is to develop a participatory framework of problem
and options analysis, prioritisation, planning, decision-making,
responsibility-sharing, implementation, maintenance and awareness-
raising;
(ii) (ii) development of a capacity-building programme for community
environmental management, addressed to primary and secondary
stakeholders, through the Immediate Action project. Guidelines and
training materials will be prepared, and training programmes initiated.
These community based principles would be further institutionalised through the
Public Participation Window (PPW) proposed for the DoE (see ISEMAP).
The PPW would take up an ongoing programme of facilitating capacity-building
for community environmental management, as well as outreach, information and
communication. It would work in close collaboration with the local bodies, other
GoWB Departments, CBOs and NGOs. An information management system
would be developed by CEMSAP, covering a range of issues, actors, agencies,
programmes, capacities and resources. This would be a tool for the PPW in
taking up its supportive linkage and communication role. This can subsequently
be further developed by the PPW over time, as the scope of its work grows (Also
see ISEMAP).
The range of capabilities built up, at departmental, municipal, institutional,
organisational and community levels, would enable forthcoming infrastructural
improvement efforts (such as the Megacity plans) to benefit from clear
identification of community priorities, and wider, more active spread of
responsibility sharing, especially in regard to maintenance. Such plans would
therefore be aided in achieving basic, long-term, substantive solutions, that are
sustainable.
6.4.4 Environmental Service Improvement Programme
The Environmental Services Improvement Programme is intended to provide
enhanced sustainable levels of service in the key environmental sectors of water
supply and waste management. The programme aims to encourage better
access to basic environmental services for all, sustainability in the processes of
provision, operation, maintenance of environment-related municipal services.
To meet the objectives of the Environmental Services Improvement Programme,
an integrated set of components and sub-components is envisaged which
comprise packages of short, medium and long term interventions. The major
components are as follows :
Water Resource Management Component (Equitable access to water
through improved resource management)
The Water Resource Management Component sets out to tackle the problems of
poor water quality, inefficient distribution and inadequate access in an integrated
manner. In the short term, it includes measures which are aimed at improving
basic access and the operation of existing systems :
Improved Basic Access to Potable Water; and
Water Distribution Improvement.
Parallel sub-components relating to the operation and maintenance of treatment
facilities and water resources management are included through :
Water Treatment Improvement; and
Water Resources Study.
Finally, a desirable objective for CMA should be the achievement of a 24 hours
per day supply. This is far from being possible in most areas, but it has been
included as a long-term goal, and may be possible in limited areas within the
CMA in the medium term.
Water Source Protection Component (A basic right to sanitation and a
clean and healthy environment)
The fundamental objective of the Water Source Protection Component is to
improve access to basic sanitation for the urban poor and maximise the utility of
existing sewerage, drainage and sewage disposal facilities. In order to achieve
this, the component includes a range of sub-components to achieve the objective
of providing a healthier, productive and protected environment. The sub-
components are :
Storm Water Drainage Cleaning and Rehabilitation;
Septic Tank Cleaning;
Improved Basic Access to Sanitation;
Household Sewer Connection and Tertiary Sewer Installation;
Sewer Cleaning and Rehabilitation; and
Sewage and Waste Water Treatment and Reuse.
Solid Waste Management Component
There are three broad stages in the solid waste management process, primary
collection, transfer and transport to the disposal site and disposal. The MEIS
identified the need for the following sub-components :
Evaluation of Collection and Handling Technologies;
Community Waste Management;
Operations Improvement;
Municipal Waste Disposal; and
Solid Waste Management Improvement.
The first of these programme sub-components is a prerequisite to the others in
that improvements in collection and transport will not occur without the
introduction of appropriate technologies while effective disposal cannot be
achieved without functioning systems for the collection and transport of waste.
6.4.5 Urban Land Management Programme
Land management will determine the location, the economic viability of industry,
the ability to meet future infrastructure needs or protect sensitive resources, and
the ability of urban managers to assist the poor in their efforts to find shelter and
to guide the planning of the urban growth. It is therefore necessary to provide the
GoWB with a structured approach to promote the management and co-ordination
of all economic, administrative, institutional, legislative and policy matters
concerning land.
CEMSAP’s analysis has identified three major gaps in the management of urban
land in Calcutta :
the lack of departmental responsibility for urban land management;
the lack of understanding and breadth of the issue of urban land management;
and
the lack of understanding of the land market, the significance of market
mechanisms and the implications of government interventions.
The objective of the urban land management programme is to create a
framework which will bring about a sustainable, transparent and efficient market
and management system for urban land in Calcutta. The programme de-
segregates the broad issue of land management by focusing on the land market,
the government interventions into that market and the institutional and legal
systems which are necessary to support government and market mechanisms.
Five main areas of action have been identified :
land market assessment (formal and informal markets);
land policy and planning;
land tenure and informal settlements;
land administration, registration and taxation; and
land law and dispute resolution.
A new area of work is proposed within the land market assessment component -
the collection, organisation and dissemination of information on land values, land
utilisation, density and servicing, to promote a broad range of initiatives by
various private sector actors. This market information will be supplemented by
reforms to management processes. Within each action area it is necessary to
review the information base, and to compile and co-ordinate required information,
to audit the organisational and skills capacity of the responsible institution, to
review the legal framework under which it operates, and to propose a package of
reforms which collectively aim to achieve a well functioning, accessible,
transparent land market and management system. The action plan extends to
this stage at which government approval is required.
While CEMSAP proposes that action be taken to move toward an efficient,
transparent land system, it simultaneously acknowledges the difficult political
nature of the issue and that reform to the current situation will take time. The
objective is to start the process, to improve knowledge, to expose the
inadequacies of the fragmented, closed and malfunctioning system which exists
today, and to promote the benefits of a reformed system.
Table 6.1 : Municipal Environmental Services & Institutional Development
Action Plan : Investment Guide
Immediate Short Term Medium Term Long Term
(November 1996 to (April 1997 to March (April 1998 to March (Beyond 9th Plan)
March 1997) 1998) 2002)
Component Rupee Component Rupee Component Rupees Component Rupees
s s in in lakhs
in in lakhs
lakhs lakhs
Capacity Building DoMA / DoUD / Municipal Strengthening Programme
MPC Study 18.70 Implementatio 6.0
n of Action
Plan for DLB
Local 7.50 Implementatio 8.0
Environment n of the Action
al planning Plan for
and ILGUS
Management
Capacity Capacity 10.0
Building Building of
CVB
Review Introduction of 113.0 Introduction 282.0
User Charges of User
Charges
Collection of 14.0 Collection of 40.0
Arrears of Arrears of
Property Property
Tax and Tax and
improved rate improved
of collection rate of
collection
Strengthening General Management :
Improved 83.0 Improved 223.0
Budget Budget
Preparation Preparation
Process & Process &
Introduction of Introduction
MIS of MIS
Introduction of 27.0 Introduction 111.0
improved of improved
operational operational &
and control control
procedure procedure
Strengthening 53.0 Strengthenin 141.0
Financial g Financial
Management Management
Improved 16.0 Improved 60.0
physical Asset physical
Asset
Management; Management
project ; project
scheduling; scheduling;
improved O & improved O
M and & M and
contract contract
Management Management
process process
Approach to
Local
Environmental
Immediate Short Term Medium Term Long Term
(November 1996 to (April 1997 to March (April 1998 to March (Beyond 9th Plan)
March 1997) 1998) 2002)
Component Rupee Component Rupee Component Rupees Component Rupees
s s in in lakhs
in in lakhs
lakhs lakhs
Planning &
Enhancing
Local
Planning
Capacity
Capacity 26.20 Capacity 330.0 Capacity 857.0
Building Building Total Building
Total Total
Environmental Services Improvement Programme
Howrah 16.50 Improved 200.0 Improved 4000.0 Improved 18300.0
Community basic access basic access basic access
Environment to potable to potable to potable
al water water water
Management
Immediate
Action
Project
Water 10.0 Water 20.0
Resource Resource
Study Study
Water 200.0 Water 12400.0 Water 44100.0
distribution distribution distribution
system system system
improvement improvement improvement
Storm water 50.0 Stormwater 7450.0 Stormwater 53300.0
drainage drainage drainage
cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and
rehabilitation rehabilitation
Septic tank 50.0 Septic tank 950.0 rehabilitation
cleaning cleaning
Improved 1000.0 Improved 10700.0
basic access basic access
to to
sanitation sanitation
Household 100.0 Household 1800.0
sewer sewer
connection connection
and tertiary and tertiary
sewer sewer
installation installation
Sewer 50.0 Sewer 9250.0 Sewer 45400.0
cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and
rehabilitation rehabilitation rehabilitation
Sewage and 200.0 Sewage and 300.0
waste water waste water
treatment treatment
and reuse and reuse
Solid waste 50.0 Solid waste 3050.0 Solid waste 30900.0
Management Management Management
Water 20.0
demand
Management
Water 100.0 Water 900.0
treatment treatment
Immediate Short Term Medium Term Long Term
(November 1996 to (April 1997 to March (April 1998 to March (Beyond 9th Plan)
March 1997) 1998) 2002)
Component Rupee Component Rupee Component Rupees Component Rupees
s s in in lakhs
in in lakhs
lakhs lakhs
improvement improvement
Environment 16.50 Environmental 1710.0 Environment 49,940. Environment 193,200.
al Services Services Total al Services 0 al Services 0
Total Total Total
Land Management Programme
Preparation of 4.00
ToR for
assessments,
review and
audits
Land Market 25.0 Land market 100.0
Assessment Assessment
Study tour, in CMA;
pilot areas
LMA
. Land Policy 15.0 Capacity 25.0
and Reform Building,
review of Scoping
policies and Study, land
institutions policy
package
Land Tenure 25.0 Implement 50.0
Information tenure
base, develop programme
programme in
pilot areas
Land 50.0 Develop 50.0
Administratio reform
n packages for
Review land government
cadastrals, approval
institutions,
regulations
,taxation
procedures
Land Law / 100.0 Capacity 20.0
Dispute Building
Resolution
Review of
institutions
and
legislation,
package of
reforms
Land - Land 219.0 Land 245.0 Land -
Management Management Management Management
total total total total
