Dangers of Decentralisation in Urban Slums : A Comparative Study on Water Supply and Drainage Service Delivery in Kolkata, India

The study finds that clientelism may lead to under-provision of services which are deemed to be suitable for decentralisation. Water distribution and drainage services, managed from lower level of municipality, are likely to be affected by clientelism and consequent under-provision. Water quality, maintained from higher layer of municipality, is not likely to be affected by clientelism. Capture by politically influential and dominant social and religious groups is likely to take place for important services like water supply. The study suggests that awareness, measurability, importance and resource intensiveness of service are additional factors to be considered for assessing the suitability of a sector for decentralisation