VISAKHAPATNAM INDIA SANITATION ASSESSMENT

3.0 SANITATION VALUE
CHAIN IN
VISAKHAPATNAM
The Municipality of Visakhapatnam has a population of approximately 2,091,000 people, occupying
681.96 square kilometers. The municipality was established in 1858 to fulfill residents’ basic
infrastructure needs, and it was converted to a municipal corporation in 1979. The city is home to
several private and state-owned industries and is one of India’s largest seaports, containing the country’s
oldest shipyard. Visakhapatnam’s population growth rate is high due to in-migration, owing to the
multitude of economic opportunities found there. Population growth has further increased in recent
years due to the bifurcation of AP, with a new capital city located in nearby Amaravati and a surge in
tourism. The population of Visakhapatnam is expected to exceed four million by 2030.
Sewerage remains the “gold standard” of sanitation services in Visakhapatnam despite major shortfalls in
coverage and underutilization of existing capacity. The city is divided into 20 sewerage blocks including
32 merged villages (excluding Bheemili and Anakapalli). GVMC models for future population growth
indicate a potential demand for 620 MLD of sewage treatment by 2044. With this in mind, GVMC is
focused on expanding the sewerage system in a phased manner. Figure 3.1 shows the current status of
completed and ongoing sewerage networks in various blocks.
FIGURE 3.1: VISAKHAPATNAM SANITATION BLOCKS
Legend Status Sanitation Blocks Covered
Completed 1, 2, 3, 5A, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14
In progress under
the Jawaharlal
Nehru National
Urban Renewal
Mission
(JNNURM)
4, 5, 10, 11, 15
Designs submitted 12, 13, 16
Designs under
preparation
17, 18, 19
The assessment team made field visits to selected sites to assess sanitation services in the city,
understand involvement and roles of the different stakeholders, and carry out interviews with
community members (e.g., septic tank emptying association and community toilet facility users). Annex 2
contains a list of all sites visited by the team. The findings of the field visits and resulting data are
summarized in the FFD on the following page (Figure 3.2).
8 VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA, SANITATION ASSESSMENT