The Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) featured in the IIHS Urban Policy Dialogues 2024 with a session titled “Realising Urban Transformation at Scale — The Story of Tamil Nadu’s Sanitation” on 28 November 2024. The session delved into the programme’s eight-year journey of transforming urban sanitation in Tamil Nadu.

Kavita Wankhade, Programme Director, TNUSSP, Phanindra Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, and Sakshi Gudwani, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were the panellists at this session moderated by Aromar Revi, Director, IIHS. An overview of the programme and its significant impacts was shared by Kavita Wankhade and Aromer Revi.

TNUSSP’s innovative approach has impacted 18 million people across 649 towns and cities, establishing a scalable model of decentralised sanitation systems. The panel discussions reflected on the programme’s achievements in governance, institutional strengthening, technological innovation, and other pivotal moments of the programme.

Discussions also focussed on the key enablers of government buy-in, adoption, and scale-up, and highlighted the lessons for broader urban transformation initiatives. The panellists offered multiple perspectives from government, donor, and Technical Support Unit stakeholders.

With the TNUSSP programme approaching its phase-out in 2025, this session offered valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners envisioning large-scale systemic change in urban contexts.