Th e Pr o b l e m o f Se wag e 117
People build their own sewers
Orangi Township is a settlement of 900,000 people in Karachi, Pakistan. For
many years, Orangi had no safe water or sanitation services. Sewage and
wastewater ran in open ditches, breeding flies and mosquitoes, and causing
illness. In 1980, Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan began the Orangi Pilot Project, or
OPP, to help people identify their health problems and come up with solutions.
Orangi residents decided an underground sewage system would most
improve their lives. At first they expected the government to build it, but Dr.
Khan knew that the Karachi government would not give them money to build a
sewage system. After much discussion, the people of Orangi decided that even
though they had no money, they could build the sewers themselves.
The first step was to develop community organizations. Each lane consisting
of 20 to 30 houses was organized to build a sewer and applied to the OPP
for assistance. The OPP surveyed the lane and prepared plans. The lane
organization then collected money from the people to build their sewer.
At first, many people did not know how to mix
concrete or to dig sewer pits that were flat and
level, so some of the work was not done well.
After 2 years, many faulty sewers had been
built and others were still not built. The OPP
organizers realized they had not trained
people well enough, so more training
sessions were held. This time, women
and children were included. The work
improved, and design changes were made
to better serve the community, reduce
costs, and finish the system more quickly.
After a few years, every lane had sewers to take waste away from people’s
homes. Health conditions improved and Orangi became a more pleasant place
to live. But there was still a problem. The people of Orangi could build sewers,
but they needed government support and money to build a sewage treatment
plant. The government would not give the money. Many years later, the
government found and funded a lower cost solution. They connected the sewers
to a filter system that cleaned the sewage as it moved downstream. By working
together to build their own sewers, the community took an important first
step. The OPP helped the government and many experts to see that community
health could be greatly improved by building a local sewage system to fit both
the needs and the abilities of the community.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012