Scope of improving environmental infrastructure services through greater reliance on user charge : a case study of Jamal Khan Ward, Chittagong, Bangladesh | |
| Author | Nath, Tapan Kumar |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.UE-97-03 |
| Subject(s) | User charges--Bangladesh--Chittagong Urban ecology--Bangladesh--Chittagong |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The provision of urban basic services is essential to continue urban productivity, to alleviate urban poverty and to protect the urban environment. Agenda 21 has emphasized the promotion of integrated environmental infrastructure services of water supply, sanitation, drainage and solid waste management. This research focuses on the scope of improving these services through greater reliance on user charge for cost recovery of those services at a community level in the Jamal Khan Healthy Ward of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC). The household survey and interviews conducted for the study suggest that there is willingness to pay for the improved services but the public utility departments and local governments have not fully exploited this opportunity. Findings of this research have revealed that inadequate pricing level, inappropriate pricing system, corruption and mismanagement in the local government and in the public utility departments have widened the gap between the service need and service offered. In addition to not making use of user charge, the prevailing service delivery system has also failed to make use of vast scope of gaining from huge scale economies in the provision of these environmental services. CW ASA supplies water through household connection to the consumer and charges monthly bills as per rate fixed for per unit consumption. It can expand its service delivery utilizing natural monopoly characteristic to meet the increasing demand for the water even to the poor providing it within the marginal cost. CCC is the main local government authority that provide sanitary, drainage and solid waste management services to the citizens for which it charges a total of 7% holding tax, 3% lighting charge and 7% conservancy charge (total 17%) based on the valuation of the building assets. But this study shows that this valuation is not properly done and the collection of taxes and charges can be improved significantly. Selfassessing valuation is one the way suggested to improve the collection process. The study findings also suggest that CCC can introduce conservancy services to its other non-conservancy wards simply by introducing rickshaw vans. The community and the citizens are willing to pay extra money (they are already paying for rickshaw van service for garbage collection) and even to volunteer their services to the local government organizations, CBOs and NGOs. The only incentive they need is the recognition of their contributions which may be an enormous input for easy service delivery and timely revenue collection from the area. Volunteer services can compliment the user charge in a few selected services like cleaning of neighborhoods. Women's voluntary participation in group discussions for the healthy wards' environmental practices and a motivational campaign to keep the ward clean are real examples of the community's willingness to protect and improve the urban environment in the study area which should be replicable in the other wards of the city. Interviews and group discussions in the study have also unveiled the fact that the record keeping and accounting system, information dissemination, accountability and transparency of the service-delivering authorities are questionable. The system losses can be reduced in an acceptable limit if regular maintenance and monitoring are done properly. The officials usualiy face the financial, administrative, legal and political problems while discharging their duties to deliver services. The people are not at all satisfied with the present situation of basic service delivery and for this reason they, even the poorest section of the community, are willing to pay for the improved services. The objective reality in the ground level thus will allow for greater reliance user charge for extending basic services. The study makes a set of recommendations for levying user charge appropriately. |
| Year | 1998 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Urban Environmental and Management (UE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Admin, A.T.M. Nurul; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Zimmermann, Willi;Austriaco, Nicanor C. ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship;Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA);Canadian Universities Consortium (CUC); |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1998 |