Sanitation value chain
Also called: Sanitation chain · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The sanitation value chain is every step that human waste and city garbage pass through, from the moment they are made until they are safely dealt with. For solid waste, the steps are segregation (sorting wet and dry waste at home), collection, transport, processing and final disposal. For human waste and dirty water, the steps are access to toilets, mechanised desludging (machines that empty septic tanks) and treatment of used water. If any one link breaks, the whole chain fails, even if the streets look clean. This is why Swachh Survekshan scores cities on the whole chain. It also scores sanitation workers' welfare and how citizens' complaints are handled.
Example
Delhi shows a broken chain at the last link. Daily garbage collection works, but for years the waste was dumped at Ghazipur in east Delhi. That dump has grown into a legacy waste mountain (old garbage piled up over many years). It gives off methane, catches fire and leaks leachate (toxic liquid). SBM-Urban 2.0 (2021) aims to clear such dumps by bio-mining.
Don't confuse with
- Visible cleanliness: this means clean-looking streets and public places. It is only one part of the chain. A city can look clean and still send unsorted waste to open dumps.
- Solid waste management: this covers only garbage. The sanitation value chain also covers toilets, faecal sludge and used water.