State-level Workshop to Operationalize the FSSM plants and Launching of FSSM-IEC campaign

Date: January 16, 2024
Place: Lucknow
Time: 10.00 am to 2.30 pm
Venue: Swati Hall, Urban Training and Research Centre & Directorate of Local Bodies 

In order to operationalize the FSSM Plants and launch the FSSM-IEC Campaign State-level workshop was held in Lucknow on January 16, 2024. The workshop was jointly organized by the Centre for Science and Environment and the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies Uttar Pradesh. The workshop is aimed to discuss and overcome the bottlenecks in operationalizing the FSSM plants, and launch of FSSM focused IEC campaign to ensure regular desludging of septic tanks. The workshop was attended by the representatives from 56ULBs, including Executive officers, JalKal engineers and state officials from SBM and AMRUT.

In order to ensure efficient faecal sludge and septage management, the Director-Directorate of Urban Local Bodies, Dr. Nitin Bansal, addressed all of the ULBs and gave them instructions to fully operationalize the FSTPs and Co-treatment Plants in their respective cities by the end of March and launched IEC in order to spread awareness throughout the community.

During the workshop,each ULB representative participated in the discussion and presented the current status and plan of efficient faecal sludge management in their respective cities by highlighting the progress and challenges. The discussion was revolving around the following major points-

• Gazette notification of Bye-laws.
• Handover status of the Treatment plant,
• of desludging vehicles-private and government
• Registration of Private Operators,
• Approach Road,
• Plant Operations and
• Plant Operation and Maintenance responsibility.

In order to raise public awareness, educate the public, encourage regular desludging, and fully operationalize the treatment plant (FSTPs and Co-treatments), the IECCampaign was successfully launched. The three stages of the IEC campaign—planning, implementation, and assessment and award recognition —were explained to the ULBs. All the related collaterals and templates were shared with the cities for the purpose of disseminating the IEC creative and templates.