Summary

As per 2011 Census, 48.4 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s population live in urban areas, making it one of most urbanised states in India. In terms of sanitation arrangements on-site sanitation systems (OSS) remain the dominant household sanitation arrangement, with nearly 67 per cent of urban households1 connected to septic tanks. Lack of adequate sanitation poses one of the greatest barriers for Tamil Nadu in achieving full development potential and ensuring high standards of public health. Recognising inadequate sanitation as core to improved standards of public health, GoTN prioritised the full sanitation chain, including the strengthening of Fecal Sludge Management (FSM) as an economical and sustainable complement to network based systems