Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) – Institutions and Programs
OPP – Research & Training Institute (OPP-RTI)
OPP – Orangi Charitable Trust (OPP-OCT)
OPP – Karachi Health & Social Development Association (KHASDA)
1) Brief situational analysis
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In Pakistan, poor peoples housing (known as Katchi Abadis – the unofficial sector) are
everywhere. In Karachi, a port city and commercial center of Pakistan, about 60 % of the total
population of 15 million, live in these abadis. Here land is purchased from a middle man (the
land supplier) who subdivides government and some private land and sells it to the poor, in the
process, paying bribes of cash and choice plots to the government functionaries. Presently 72%
of these abadies have been notified i.e. accepted by the government, while more then 40% of the
houses have been provided land title- remaining are under process. This has been mainly due to
the peoples consistent efforts.
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Provision of a housing unit is not a problem. People build their houses incrementally, with
building component manufacturing yards in the settlements providing building materials and
components on credit. Initially the land supplier (who is a resourceful person having links with
politicians, government departments and the private operators) arranges the supply of water
through water tankers and transportation (i.e. bus routes). As the settlement expands and
consolidates, need for water supply, sewage disposal, schools and clinics arises. For livelihood,
people set up micro enterprises in their homes. People lobby with government for facilities but
due to lack of or adhoc1 government response, they soon undertake self help initiatives.
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In 1980 when OPP started work in Orangi, it observed peoples initiatives in provision of sewage
disposal, water supply, schools and clinics, as well as the limitations of the response from the
government. OPP decided to strengthen people’s initiatives with social and technical guidance.
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It is demonstrated through the programs that at the neighborhood level people can finance,
manage and maintain facilities like sewerage, water supply, schools, clinics, solid waste disposal
and security. Government's role is to compliment people's work with larger facilities like trunk
sewers and treatment plants, water mains and water, colleges/universities, hospitals, main solid
waste disposals and land fill sites.
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The component-sharing concept clearly shows that where government partners with the people,
sustainable development can be managed through local resources2.
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Lack of and adhoc govt. response dates back to events in 1947, the independence of Pakistan and partition of India.
Govt. was not ready to respond to the huge influx of refugees. Karachi’s population of 0.4 million in 1947 become 1
million in 1951. Refugees were given slips by govt. officials and told to settle in vacated spaces. These soon
expanded to become unofficial settlements/Katchi Abadis. The green revolution of 1960’s and the 1971 war added
to influx in the cities. Unable to provide land or housing for the poor, in mid 1970’s govt. accepted the unofficial
settlements and decided on provision of land title and upgradation. The decision translated into ordinance provided
some security, but with lack of government capacity to respond, community initiatives increased.
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This avoids the debt burden: Today Pakistan’s foreign/local debt is about US $ 97 billion. More then 70% of the
annual budget goes into debt servicing and defence, most of the remaining goes into the government’s operational
cost with only a meager amount left for development and the social sector.
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2) Organization
Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) as an NGO began work in Orangi town in 1980. Orangi situated in the
periphery of Karachi is a cluster of 113 low income settlements3 with a population of 1.5 million.
On the success of its five basic programs of low cost sanitation, housing, health, education and
credit for micro enterprise, in 1988 OPP was upgraded into three autonomous institutions.
 OPP-Research and Training Institute (OPP-RTI) manages the low cost sanitation,
housing/secure housing support program, education program, the now evolving water supply
and the women’s savings programs as well as the related research and training programs.
Earthquake and the flood rehabilitation works are also undertaken.
 OPP-Orangi Charitable Trust (OPP-OCT) manages the micro enterprise credit program.
 OPP-Karachi Health and Social Development Association (OPP-KHASDA) manages the
health program.
Each institution has its separate board of directors and mobilizes its own funds.
Development is self financed by the people. OPP institutions provide social and technical
guidance and credit for micro enterprise.
For replication OPP institutions strengthen the partner Non Government Organizations (NGOs)/
Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Government agencies (instead of setting up their
own offices).
3) Approach and strategy
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The approach is to encourage and strengthen community initiatives (with social, technical
guidance and credit for micro enterprise) and evolve partnerships with the government for
development based on local resource.
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The methodology is action research and extension. That is analyzing outstanding problems of the
area, people’s initiatives, the bottlenecks in the initiatives, then through a process of action
research and extension education evolving viable solutions promoting participatory action. In
short developing low cost package of advice , guiding and facilitating community organizations
for self help and partnership with the government.
4) Programs/Activities
I ) OPP-RTI
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Low cost sanitation program: The Low Cost Sanitation Program enables low income
families to finance, manage and maintain sanitary latrines in their homes, underground sewerage
lines in the lanes and secondary sewers (this constitutes internal development). Government is
responsible to provide main sewers/box drains and treatment plants (i.e. external development).
OPP-RTI provides social and technical guidance to both community and government facilitating
partnerships. The model that has evolved from the program is the component-sharing
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The settlements began as katchi abadies , between 1986 to 1992 most settlements were notified i.e officially
accepted by the government.
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concept of development with people and government as partners. It has evolved from a lane
to the city/town. The program has extended to all of Orangi town (where 106,726 houses, have
invested Rs. 122.61 million in secondary, lane sewers and sanitary latrines, with govt. investing
Rs. 739.3 million on main disposals) and to 463 settlements in Karachi and 44 cities/ towns, also
in 93 villages (spread mostly over the Sindh and Punjab Provinces) covering a population of
more than 2 million. Together with 20 partner NGOs and a number of government
organizations, the expansion of work continues. There is now city/town wide application. In
2003 the Punjab Government's SPBUS program for 21 towns adopted the component-sharing
model, work on external sanitation is nearing completion, while internal development by the
community supported by partner organizations continues. OPP-RTI's proposal for sewage
disposal for Karachi is now the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s (KW&SB) S-III plan for
the city (approved in December 2006), implementation is under process. Karachi Municipal
Corporation continues to be supported with maps and designs for the development of the main
“nalas” (the sewage disposals /drainage channels) as box drains – more then 70% of these have
now been developed. Additional focus in Karachi is the infrastructure development
(sewage/drainage disposal and water supply provision) in the 610 goths /villages (that have fast
become urban settlements). In the National Sanitation Policy approved by the government in
November 2006, the component-sharing model and lessons are included as policy measures to be
adopted nationwide.
Youth program continues to train more community architects, technicians and surveyors. The
mapping and documentation of drainage channels and infrastructure in settlements and goths of
Karachi by the youth continues, it provides the basis for expansion of work. Maps and
documentation of infrastructure of 553 of the total 2,735 settlements/goths and 16 out of 18
towns of Karachi are complete, together with the mapping of most of the drainage channels in the
city. A Youth Technical Network has lately evolved bringing together youths of more then 20
partner organizations to understand, learn and strengthen each other (with mapping and technical
skills).
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Low cost housing program: The Low Cost Housing Program enables improvements in
building components and construction techniques, through action research, provision of credit
and technical guidance to the building component manufacturing yards, training of youths and
masons and the mobilization of house owners. Each year more than 2,500 houses in Orangi
benefit.
Important development is the training of youths to become community architects as well as
mobilizing and strengthening their organizations, based in Orangi and other towns, for providing
housing support services to the community and technical training to other youths. Two partner
organizations have evolved, one based in Orangi, with its work expanding beyond Orangi and
another based in the nearby Gadap town .
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Education program: The Education Program upgrades the physical condition and improves
the academic standards of private schools in Orangi and five more peripheral towns of Karachi,
through start up grant, credit, teacher’s training and the mobilization of saving groups. 588
schools educating 79,137 children have been supported. In addition 303 more schools have been
supported with credit by the OPP-OCT.
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For strengthening the coming together of schools and linking up the training activity, lectures and
forums are organized. The events, besides adding to their skills, have provided an opportunity to
schools and teachers to come together. For strengthening the self help process of support, groups
of 20-30 school owners are mobilized to come together as saving groups. Two groups continue
with their savings, one group has started supporting members with credit from their savings. 3
new groups of schools in the goths have initiated their savings groups.
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New programs: Three new programs have evolved in Karachi and are being extended to other
places
1) The Secure Housing Support Program: Strengthening poor communities in the goths
(villages that have fast become urban settlements) to resist evictions; acquire land tenure and
infrastructure development. With the cases of fierce evictions in 2006, people’s resistance was
facilitated with mapping, research and advocacy. By mid 2010 there was a breakthrough, govt.
approved land tenure provision for the goths of Karachi. So far 1,063 goths have been
approved for land tenure, more are under process. More then 150 goths have been directly
supported, while listing of the 2,173 goths, the location mapping and the detail mapping process
of these goths in Gadap, Kemari and Bin Qasim towns continues. In addition is the cooperative
housing saving and loan program reaching to upto 100 houses annually.
2) The Water Supply Program: a) City wide research, advocacy and mapping, facilitating the
poor settlements access to sweet water in Karachi. Research shows that daily 41% of the water
supplied to Karachi is siphoned from the bulk mains. This is then sold for profit, supplied thru
tankers b) Water supply provision (technical support) for the goths and c) The water supply
provision in the villages in Battagram .
3) Women’s Savings Program: Already 42 groups have come together, with 1,371 members
and Rs. 2.98 million saved. More savings groups are coming together, in Karachi and other
places. Most groups have initiated loans, from the savings, for the member’s emergency needs.
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Earthquake and flood rehabilitation programs: Following the Oct’2005 earthquake in the
Northern areas of Pakistan, support for rehabilitation was initiated. In Dhirkot (AJK) and
Batagram (NWFP) 3,610 houses spread over 68 villages were supported with tin sheets for
roofing over a room/house with people constructing the walls. In addition 76 villages (23,810
families) were supported with pipes for the repair /replacement of water mains, while community
undertook to repair/replace the distribution network. Two local organizations that evolved thru
the process are now continuing with the main stream development programs.
Following the July’10 floods in Pakistan that spread 4-15 km both sides of the river Indus,
that flows north to south across Pakistan, relief and rehabilitation support was initiated
that continues. Thru 19 partner organizations working in villages around 2 cities and 19 towns
(mostly in Sindh and Punjab provinces) support continues for 1) medicines for health centers and
medical camps 2) roofing over a room/house/family 3) repair/replacement of hand pumps and 4)
setting up of village schools. So far more then 99,167 patients have been treated thru the
supported medical camps/centers, 13,019 houses spread over 1,183 villages have been supported
with roofing while people constructed the walls/pillars of mud/bricks, 178 hand pumps for 39
villages were repaired /replaced and 18 schools have been initiated and are functional in 18
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villages. In addition lately the Village Development Program has been initiated for the
development of villages reached thru the rehabilitation program.
II - OPP-KHASDA
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Health education and family planning: Supports the local clinics in Orangi Town set up by
the people with supply of vaccines, family planning components and training of
vaccinators/traditional birth attendants (TBAs). 862 clinics, 246 vaccinators and 613 TBAs have
been supported. The program has lately been reorganized.
III - OPP-OCT
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Micro enterprise credit program: The program supports small businesses set up by the
people, mostly in their homes, settlements and villages. Credit for livestock and agriculture
related work in villages is also provided. The program has expanded thru 68 partner NGOs to
more then 40 cities/towns and about 2,198 villages (mostly in Sindh province). 210,459 units
have been supported with credit of Rs. 2.96 billion with 96% recovery rate and the ratio of
operational expense to loans being 7.9%. The income expenditure ratio being 163:100.
Some latest initiatives to reach the rural poor include:
1) Women’s livestock cooperative farming: 15,380 women in five districts in Sindh province
have been supported with credit of total Rs. 75 million for the purchase of male goats. The
rearing and sale of the goats within 3-4 months helps the women to earn an average profit of Rs.
1,000/goat. With this turnover, 3 times a year, the average annual income of the women comes to
Rs. 9,750. The program is being extended thru partner organizations.
2) Support for mat making: It was observed in the villages in Khairpur Sindh that the poorest
make reed mats and sell it to the middle man at only Rs.20/piece, with an average earning of Rs.
6,000/family/month (i.e cost of about 300 mats). The mats when sold in July/Aug (the peak date
farming season) can fetch upto Rs. 80/mat. OPP-OCT provided small loans of Rs. 10,000/family
to facilitate their holding capacity (i.e using the amount for their subsistence and selling the
product at the peak season). Total 780 families were supported with Rs. 7 million credit. Due to
holding the mats for 6-7 months the middle man had to increase the price to Rs. 50-80/mat.
Process is in progress to expand the program.
The program has evolved partnerships for expansion and influencing policies. An example is the
formation of the “Micro finance organizations network” for training and strengthening of
member organizations.
Support for the flood affected families, focusing on livelihoods (livestock/agricultural input
including promotion of crops like oil seeds/sunflower) is ongoing.
5) Institution building and the Networks
Institution building has been an important focus of our work. Four networks are strengthening
the process. 1) The Community Development Network, a coming together of more than 50
partner NGOs, and CBOs (mostly from the Sindh and Punjab provinces) facilitates the
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organizational strengthening, mutual support, learning and policy advocacy. 2) The Youth
Technical Network 3) The Women’s Savings Groups Network likewise strengthens the process
of work and 4) The Micro finance organizations network.
6) Successes
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Emergence of people, NGO/CBO and government partnerships at the neighborhood/
town/city levels focusing on local resources.
Institutional development of many NGOs/CBOs in Orangi Town, Karachi, more then 80
other cities/towns and in thousands of villages.
Trends in government and policy level breakthroughs, while focusing on : a) addressing the
problems of the poor with participation b) shifting policy from pure provider to sharing
responsibilities c) accepting peoples development initiatives and complimenting these and d)
mobilizing local resources.
7) Constraints
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Government’s inconsistency leading to adhoc planning.
Peoples lack of access to information.
NGOs incapacity to support people’s initiatives and the OPP institutions incapacity to
respond to large numbers of requests for support.
Peoples lack of confidence in their initiatives due to the psychological barrier of dependency.
Professional's arrogance.
Donor programs of patronage, perks and benefits.
Perween Rahman
ORANGI PILOT PROJECT – RESEARCH & TRAINING INSTITUTE
ST-4, Sec 5/A, Qasba colony, Manghopir Road, Karachi-75800.
For OPP-RTI: ph: 021-38294679 e-mail: opprti.ngo@gmail.com Website: oppinstitutions.org
For OPP-OCT 021-36665696 e-mail: oppoct@oppoct.org Website: oppoct-microcredit.com
For OPP-KHASDA: ph: 021-6699354 e-mail: oppkhasda.health@gmail.com
June 2012
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