Summary

The Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) has been a pioneer in the sanitation sector by recognising the importance of full sanitation coverage as core to improved standards of public health. It has also prioritised the full sanitation chain including the strengthening of fecal sludge and septage management as an economic and sustainable complement to network-based sewerage systems. The Government of Tamil Nadu issued the “Operative Guidelines for Septage Management for Local Bodies in Tamil Nadu” in 2014, becoming the first State in the country to do so.