Chennai, the capital of state of Tamil Nadu is located on a flat coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal Plains. It is the fourth largest metropolitan city in India. The estimated present population of the city is 7.1 million. Overall, the SFD Graphic depicts that 62% of excreta is safely managed while 38% is discharged untreated to the environment. The wastewater system for the city has been divided into five drainage zones. These zones of macro systems covering the entire city have independent zonal collections, conveyance, treatment and disposal facilities. Even in the sewered areas, officials say that the lack of maintenance and upkeep of the household connections, especially in old settlements in the core parts of the city have been a source of constant threat to the environment and human health. The non-sewered areas, inclusive of those under implementation and those that have not obtained household connections are primarily dependent on on-site sanitation systems (OSS) - mostly fully lined tanks sealed, lined tanks with impermeable walls and open bottom and unlined pits. Roughly about 58% of the households are dependent on OSS in Chennai.

---

The SFD PI was present at the 4^th Fecal Sludge Management Conference (FSM4) in February 2017, held in Chennai, India. The SFD PI hosted a workshop involving 22 participants. The presentations are available on the FSM4 website.

• Prepared by: Eawag
• Date of production: 07/09/2019
• Last update: 14/06/2022