Transforming Urban Settlements: the Orangi Pilot Project's low-cost sanitation model

THE ORANGI PILOT project is best known for its low-cost sanitation project which began in the Orangi district of Karachi nearly 20 years ago. This book documents and assesses the impact of the sanitation programme in Karachi and other cities across
Pakistan.

Perhaps the main conclusion to be drawn from this book is that the considerable success of the OPP lies not so much in its technical innovations or the way subsidy levels are managed but in the nature, philosophy and methodology of the organization. The sanitation programme did not introduce fundamentally new concepts but built on models already available in the community; and the OPP did not undertake any physical work but its role was to motivate, provide technical support and advice, and loan technical equipment.

By simplifying designs and construction methods, OPP was able to reduce costs which, in turn, allowed low-income families to take responsibility for installation and maintenance and bear the costs. Subsidies and grants from donors and NGOs are discouraged in favour of keeping all the costs local. Proof of the success of this strategy is that the project has been replicated in 59 settlements, by the communities rather than OPP directly.

The key to the success of OPP is its simplicity. Its main lessons are to go slowly, consolidate, concentrate where there is expertise and comparative advantage, and not to get involved in every kind of activity. The author is sceptical about NGO activity in general, feeling that it does not meet appropriate needs nor use appropriate methods. However, in the longer term, OPP may have to become more accommodating of NGOs and introduce some flexibility into its approach. This book also presents case studies of the OPP model being replicated in other settlements, as well as presenting the detractors’ views. It concludes with a discussion on its originality and worth, looking at its shortcomings as well as its successes, before finishing with some suggestions on how to take OPP's work forward in the future.