WATER AND SANITATION SERVICE LEVELS IN CITIES OF INDIA (2011-12 and 2012-13)

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Measuring service levels of civic agencies implies measuring outcomes, and indirectly also reflects
on institutional capacity, financial performance and other parameters. Service level parameters can be measured either from a utility manager’s/planner’s perspective or from a citizen’s or consumer’s perspective. In addition, to facilitate comparison between cities, and to assess changes in performance over time, it is important that the performance levels are benchmarked, and
monitored” (MoUD, Handbook on Service Level Benchmarks (2008). It was in this context, that the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) had initiated an exercise to assess Service Level Benchmarks (SLBs). Such benchmarks and monitoring have helped ULBs, State Governments and National government to monitor outcomes of their investments in water and sanitation in the past years. When such monitoring systems are institutionalized, it would also help monitor new programmes, such as the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, that has a target to have clean cities by the year 2019.. Sustained benchmarking can help utilities to identify performance gaps and introduce improvements through the sharing of information and best practices, ultimately resulting in better services to people.