“S.I.T.E” (Societal-Institutional-Technical-Economic) Valuation Framework: A Case of Drinking-Water Facilities and Services in Slum Areas of the Hyderabad Region, India

Abstract

This paper provides the original research contribution, titled “S.I.T.E valuation of Infrastructure facilities and Services” (Societal-Institutional-Technical-Economic valuation—A systematic and integrated valuation framework for decision-making processes to provide safe and adequate infrastructure facilities and services to urban poor, in a cost-effective manner). In India, there are various policies, programmes, schemes, and projects to improve the infrastructure conditions and many are still ongoing to meet the Millennium Development goals. Nevertheless, the infrastructure associated challenges still persevere, particularly in slum areas, leading to adversative consequences in terms of deprived health, loss of productivity—making the living of the poor population even more miserable. Despite having urban planning instruments that are steering the policies and projects, specifically designed for improving the infrastructure for slum population, the decision-making processes for developing policies and projects were amalgamation of many apprehensions, leading the government agencies unable to meet their set objectives and targets of sustainability, equity, effectiveness, efficiency and good governance in the decisions made, and in providing the requisite infrastructure facilities and services. As a portion of the case study analysis, this paper examines in detail the decision-making processes involved in providing the drinking-water facilities and services to slum areas in the Hyderabad region. It is revealing that the current decision-making support is only accounting for the technical and financial parameters—making it more a techno-bureaucratic approach, but not considering social, institutional, and economic aspects. In order to address these concerns, it is vital for the urban administrators to consider and analyze social, institutional, technical, and economic aspects pertaining to infrastructure facilities and services in an integrated fashion for their search of solutions during decision-making processes. This research paper provides insights on the proposed theoretical framework “S.I.T.E” valuation, a systematic and integrated valuation framework for the decision-making process to provide safe and adequate infrastructure facilities and services to urban poor population in metropolitan cities in order to meet the set objectives and targets.