science

Orangi Pilot Project

Orangi Pilot Project is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Orangi Pilot Project rather than just read about it. In short: The Orangi Pilot Project (Urdu: اورنگی پائلٹ پراجیکٹ; abbreviated OPP) collectively designates three Pakistani non-governmental organisations working together, having emerged from a socially innovative project carried out in 1980s in the squatter areas of Orangi, Karachi, Pakistan. It was initiated by the social scientist Akhter Hameed Khan and implemented by Arif Hassan, Perween Rahman, Shameem Zainuddin, and Tasne…

Key takeaways

Orangi Pilot Project belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Orangi Pilot Project to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Orangi Pilot Project from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Orangi Pilot Project (Urdu: اورنگی پائلٹ پراجیکٹ; abbreviated OPP) collectively designates three Pakistani non-governmental organisations working together, having emerged from a socially innovative project carried out in 1980s in the squatter areas of Orangi, Karachi, Pakistan. It was initiated by the social scientist Akhter Hameed Khan and implemented by Arif Hassan, Perween Rahman, Shameem Zainuddin, and Tasneem Siddiqi among many others. Innovative methods were used to provide adequate low cost sanitation, health, housing and microfinance facilities. Currently OPP designates three organisations, born out of the original OPP in 1989 OPP-RTI (Research and Training Institute), OPP-OCT (Orangi Charitable Trust, involved in microfinance) and OPP-KHASDA (Karachi Health and Social Development Association, involved in health activities). A fourth organisation, OPP-RDT (Rural Development Trust) was merged with OPP-RTI in 2012. The project also comprised a number of programmes, including a people's financed and managed low-cost sanitation programme; a housing programme; a basic health and family planning programme; a programme of supervised credit for small family enterprise units; an education programme; and a rural development programme in the nearby villages. Today, the project encompasses much more than the neighbourhood level problems. The research and development programmes under the institutions developed by the project now cover wider issues related to the areas all over Karachi. Its director until 2013 was Perween Rahman, who was murdered on 13 March 2013. The current Director is Aquila Ismail.

Organization's success Orangi was a squatter community, and did not qualify for government aid due to their "unofficial" status. With endogenous research, the community was able to make an affordable sanitation system for the treatment of sewage, which helped to reduce the spread of disease. The system was created and paid for by the local community, who would not have had access to a sewer system otherwise. The programme proved so successful that it was adopted by communities across developing countries. After the success of the initial phase, the programme was expanded into four autonomous groups.

The Orangi Pilot Project Society, to control funding for the other three groups. The Orangi Research and Training Institute, to manage the programme and provide training for onward dissemination. The Orangi Charitable Trust, to manage microcredit programmes. The Karachi Health and Social Development Association, to manage a health programme.

Foundation of Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) Akhtar Hameed Khan (1914–1999) was the founder and first director of the project, and managed to bring modern sanitation to the squatter community of 1 million people. He had previously organised farmers' cooperatives and rural training centres and had served as an adviser to various development projects in Pakistan. He was also a research fellow and visiting professor at Michigan State University (US), Director of the Pakistan Academy of Rural Development and Principal of Victoria College (Bangladesh). Comparing the OPP with his earlier Comilla project, Akhtar Hameed Khan commented:

"The Orangi Pilot Project was very different from the Comilla Academy. OPP was a private body, dependent for its small fixed budget on another NGO. The vast resources and support of the government, Harvard advisers, MSU, and Ford Foundation was missing. OPP possessed no authority, no sanctions. It may observe and investigate but it could only advise, not enforce.". However, both projects followed the same research and extension methods.

Publications Perween Rahman, 2004, Katchi Abadis of Karachi: A survey of 334 katchi abadis – Existing situation, problems and solutions related to sewage disposal, water supply, health and education. Orangi Pilot Project-Research and Training Institute. Sama Publishing. ISBN 969-8784-09-8 Arif Hasan, 2000, Scaling Up of the Orangi Pilot Project Programs: successes, failures and potentials, City Press, Karachi. Arif Hasan, 1999, Akhtar Hameed Khan and the Orangi Pilot Project, City Press, Karachi. Akhtar Hameed Khan, 1996, Orangi Pilot Project: Reminiscences and Reflection, Oxford University Press, Karachi Arif Hasan, 1993, Scaling Up of the OPP's Low Cost Sanitation Program, Research Training Institute, Karachi.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Orangi Pilot Project

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Orangi Pilot Project claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Orangi Pilot Project before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Orangi Pilot Project ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Orangi Pilot Project

In research: Orangi Pilot Project appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Orangi Pilot Project in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Orangi Pilot Project is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Appropriate technology, Development in Asia, Economy of Karachi, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Orangi Pilot Project outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Orangi Pilot Project in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Orangi Pilot Project means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Orangi Pilot Project out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Orangi Pilot Project in simple terms?

Why does Orangi Pilot Project matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Orangi Pilot Project?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Orangi Pilot Project.