Improving urban sanitation services in Lucknow

Phase 1 of the Gomti River Pollution Control Project at Lucknow (GRPCPL) has reached the halfway point of its 18 month planning phase. By the time of the WEDC conference the project will have passed month 12. Challenging times are ahead for all those involved in the project. This paper describes the background to the project, some key issues that have emerged and are emerging, the constraints to real progress and the opportunities waiting to be grasped. The project in its simplest form aims to improve sanitation/sewerage, surface water drainage and solid waste services for the city of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. A multitude of agencies at local, municipal, state and federal levels, consultants and NGOs, and the donor are involved, some more actively than others.