The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is located in a strategic position at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It shares a border with India to the east, China to the north-east, Afghanistan to the north and west, and Iran to the south-west.

Pakistan has a land area of 796,095 square kilometres and according to the 1998 census, a population of 131.51 million. Its population in 2005 is estimated at 153.45 million, with a population growth rate of 1.9 per cent per year and an average total fertility rate of 5.1.² At the current growth rate...

The Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) began work in Orangi in 1980. The katchi abadi of Orangi, situated on the periphery of Karachi, had at the time a population of approximately 1.2 million. Started by the renowned development theorist and practitioner, Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan, OPP was based on his concept of research and extension (see Annexe 1 for details of OPP methodology). Established with the objective of overcoming constraints faced by government in regularising and improving katchi abadis, the project set out to:

understand the problems of Orangi and their causes

through action research, develop solutions that people can Manage,...

OPP-RTI’s sanitation mapping is part of a wider process of scaling-up people’s initiatives. The purpose of mapping is threefold. First, to document what already exists on the ground (in terms of sanitation infrastructure); second, to influence the government to align its investments with what already exists rather than replicating or ignoring this; third, to inform communities of the importance of their self-help work, so as to strengthen their efforts and advocacy.

The extensive documentation of sanitation infrastructure throughout Karachi, reinforced by statistics and maps, has had positive repercussions for planning efforts in Karachi and beyond, and increased OPP-RTI’s standing and...

This section presents a narrative of the process and evolution of OPP-RTI’s advocacy efforts which are grounded primarily in (1) research and extension, (2) demonstration of work on the ground, (3) mapping and documentation, and (4) relationship-building through working with government, communities and civic groups.

In 1992, KWSB proposed a major project to build main trunk sewers in Orangi, the sprawling township of 1.2 million people, as part of its massive umbrella project, the Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan (GKSP). When OPP-RTI documented a pilot project in one settlement of Orangi, it showed that existing work in lanes was being overlooked...

In carrying out advocacy, OPP-RTI does not work according to a predetermined agenda or strategy. Advocacy issues emerge as understanding of an issue develops, and after careful analysis of experiences and learning: ‘The knowledge and experience gained through relationships and the process of documentation opened up the possibilities of work in other areas and on other issues.’³⁹

For instance, experience with the ADB Orangi project (and earlier in Manzoor Colony, a settlement in the centre of the city) showed that lanes and secondary sewers were not connected to the main sewers, and the natural drain (ostensibly for rain or flood...