Providing the urban poor with toilets that work must become a priority for Indian policymakers
In South Mumbai's upscale Malabar Hill, a neighbourhood of 6,000 people share 52 toilets, 26 for men and 26 for women. That works out to around 115 people per toilet. Nearby live some of the oldest and richest families of the city with homes where one person may have a choice of many toilets.
But this is Simla Nagar, where 720 households are precariously perched on a not so wealthy slope of Malabar Hill. The path to the two-storey toilet block in the slum is like an obstacle race that only the able can undertake. Depending on which part of the slum you live in, it can take you anything from five to 20 minutes to reach the toilets. On the way you climb steep, uneven steps, walk uphill through narrow lanes barely four feet wide that are slippery with soapy water as scores of women wash clothes and utensils, then downhill through equally treacherous lanes to finally reach the destination.
If you get there before 10 a.m., you are lucky. There is water in the taps; hence the toilets are reasonably clean. If you wait longer, the water stops; you carry your own mug of water, just enough for your personal needs but not enough to flush the toilet. By mid-afternoon, all 52 toilets are rendered unusable. People wait in resignation till the evening when the toilets are cleaned. At night, although the toilets are lit, the path leading to them is not.
Some enterprising people have built their own toilets inside their tiny homes. But there is no sewerage. So the waste pipe dumps the human waste in the open drain outside. If you are the unfortunate neighbour of one of these inventive souls, you live with the stench and the flies and mosquitoes. No one complains. You just curse your luck that you do not have the resources, or the space, to copy your neighbour.
For old people, especially old women, getting to the toilet is virtually impossible unless your jhopdi is next door. And children? Mothers say they use the open drain. Who has the time to drop everything and run with the child to the toilet?
So Bill Gates' idea to launch a global quest to “reinvent the toilet” is certainly timely. India has been given the singular honour of hosting the “Reinventing the toilet” summit in 2013. Very appropriate given over 60 per cent of Indians are forced to defecate in the open because they have no access to toilets. If nothing else, the conference will draw necessary global attention to a problem that is often relegated to the bottom of the endless list of challenges poor countries face.
Innovations needed
Technological innovations are needed as in rural areas, and even in some towns, where capital-intensive underground sewerage systems might not be feasible. Also flush toilets waste too much water and are unsustainable given the growing scarcity of water. But coming up with new ideas for toilets should not be rocket science. As Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh stated recently, “We can launch missiles like Agni and satellites but we cannot provide sanitation to our women.”
The real challenge for India is dealing with the sanitation needs of cities and towns, particularly the areas where the urban poor live. Having failed spectacularly all these years to provide affordable housing in cities — Mumbai is now constantly referred to as “Slumbai” — the least governments can do is to put the sanitation challenge within slum settlements top of their list of priorities.
In cities like Mumbai, the problem is partly compounded by the carrot of redevelopment that is dangled before many notified or regularised slums such as Simla Nagar. Because they are designated for redevelopment at some future date, not much attention is paid to their immediate needs. As a result, you have toilets that are nowhere near enough for the colony, yet new toilets will not be built. And you have a water supply that comes for just four hours every evening thereby making the hand-flush toilets unusable for a significant part of the day. Appeals to augment the supply fall on deaf ears. In the end, not out of choice but out of compulsion, many residents of such slums are compelled to defecate in the open at the cost of their own sense of dignity.
There have been efforts, often half-hearted. Funds are allocated but lie unused for years because no one really cares. And the majority of toilet schemes in slums fail for precisely the same reasons: not enough water, zero maintenance and an unresponsive administration.
Even if people come up with innovative ideas, there is little encouragement. Many people from outside government who have tried to intervene in the sanitation sector end up hitting their heads against a brick wall: the unwillingness of much of the bureaucracy to be flexible and open to new ideas, to design adaptations and to the beneficiary community's views. To meet the toilet challenge, it is this mindset that has to be reinvented.
Keywords: urban poor, toilets facilities
If Ahluwalia used the same 35 lacs to build toilets here, he would be considered stupid--because of the attitude that Indians show towards toilets. In hyderabad, to have toilets clean in restaurants or in amusement parks--they have hired a cleaner-who will go in to clean- after ONE person has used it. Because the person who used western toilets would have used the floor and will not use water--even if they have water in it. PATHETIC
Kalpana Sharma has brought out the un-hygenic and pathetic living conditions of the POOR AND UNAFFORDABLE people of Dharavi, Mumbai. Good write-up. There may be so many similar areas in our country. Vivek's comments are really good. Hope our politicians who have gone for FANCY TOILETS have some time to read this article and act upon it. This article is an eye-opener for the fellow Indians [who live in comfortable homes],who complain about small uncomforts like 'power cuts for some time', water not available for 24 hrs etc.
The awful conditions of toilets and rather lack of it is some thing that never comes in the public domain. Of late, very positive to say, this has become a hotly debated subject in the print and electronic media. Hats off to Kalpana Sharma, for her lucid presentation of the hurdles endured by the slum dwellers in answering the call of the nature. Even in many urban homes, toilets remain unlit and untidy and not flushed thoroughly after use; the less said the better of public toilets. It is high time the central government made this, an area of utmost importance and more awareness programme initiated and subsidy given for consturction of toilets highlighted and more people encouraged to use public toilets and dissuaded from open defecation. In the next general election, I wonder, if any of the leading political parties would include this as a priority area in their manifesto. If it happens, well and good.
very nice article,one side we are trying to become developed country in the long term future on the other side more than 40% people do not have proper sanitation facility that leads to the spread of various disease like malaria & by that way polluting various basic resources.that's mandatory, authorities should take appropriate actions.though they are not providing the basic needs(food,water,bijli) of poor people,but atleast government should take firm actions for the sanitation facility in the slum area & by that way putting the end to the spread of fatal diseases like malaria & various g.i.t problems
Important article. People cannot keep waiting for Govt to do something. local groups, in their neighborhoods, should focus on building (and maintaining) an appropriate number of toilets - if they can't get together to do this, for their benefit (avoiding stink right under their noses) , how will a far away Govt or NGO understand?
Actually shivsena led Mumbai municipal corporation is busy in teaching marathi to everyone who is living in Mumbai. no one care about these basic problems like sanitation, roads. shiv sena is busy in fighting with people who dare to say that Mumbai is Indian financial capital.shiv sena thinks that Mumbai is a part of Maharashtra, not of India. as soon as shiv sena will get all these goals, you will see development in slum area. so, please wait and help them to get their goals.
Yes it is true to find the poor sanitation facilities spread in the areas where slum people live. It is high time that these people are given appropriate santitation facilities and engage them in doing a self service to run the toilets properly. The government should ensure that things are worked out well for the welfare of the human beings living in these kind of surroundings. Equally the people should also shoulder the responsibility of sharing and caring the sanitation requirements. Let people not die of stench and poor sanitation around them.
Its a shear failure of planning decisions. Advanced low cost technologies that are friendly to environment even could be taken up instead of conventional techniques. Steering up bio digestor or packaged treatment plant is one solution.
I hope our politicians read this article and if they have CONSCIENCE, they can improve our poor people's standard of life. Even the educated politicians who want fancy toilets in their Govt. offices do not have the empathy towards the poor people of our country. I wonder which God is going to remind them about their responsibilities and accountability towards their duty. Our rich business houses, industrialists also can do something to improve the poor people's standard of living as one of their CSR agenda. Even the very rich individuals, spiritual Matas can help to improve the poor people's living conditions. Other than this, some of us who live in comfortable decent accommodation complain when there is no water for a short time. Some of us waste water without thinking how the poor people suffer in small houses with no tap connection, no toilets etc.
FROM THE article:
"Providing the urban poor with toilets that work must become a priority for Indian policymakers."Dear Planning commision members: You have been fooling around with the taxpayers money for too long, 65 years to be exact.Now that you all have ensured good toilets (35 lakhs) for yourself , can you spare sometime from your visits abroad and do something for the urban poor ?
The opening paragraph rightly and succinctly depict the attitude of the Maharashtra government. There are two standards for them. One for the SoBO residents, especially the Marine Drive, Pedder Road and Malabar Hill folks and quite another for ordinary mortals in Simla Nagar and other such habitations. The so called Slum Redevelopment Programme is only a device to enable the pockets of the builders are full and they run all the way to the banks with profits. So long as the decision making is in the hands of corporates and property developers aided and abetted by ministers and greedy civil servants, such inequities will go on increasing.
A toilet revolution has long been the need of the hour. Unfortunately our acceptance of open defecation is legendary! With the exploding growth of urban cities, not much thought is given to provision of closed sewer systems with provision of public toilets that actually work. If you need to pee, what better pleasure than to unzip at the nearest road corner, wait for an opportune passer by and let it flow! We need to set standards at all liquour shops that have bars to provide rest rooms and beds - so that our sozzled brothers can defecate,urinate, vomit and then rest their botched heads to start all over again the next day on their favourite brand of poison! What a pathetic state of affairs! Sprawling malls are built but without toilets to support the huge floating population that again is left with no option but to let nature receive their carbon footprints! Why can't we get right what needs to be set right? Is it so difficult or is it just a mindset problem?
All those places near sea can look into using sea water for toilet use. No govt can build toilets for everyone especially in illegal slums. But the Government of India failed miserably in controlling population, educating people about sanitation and hygeine, and generating and distribution of employment. Who wants to suffer in the slum if you the means to buy a descent home? The party which ruled for 55 years is more interested in glorifying the deeds of a particular exPM. The wefare of Indian citizens was and is not its priority.
congrats for the super article. Please print this and distribute it to every politician irrespective of party affiliations. Please send a copy to each of the IAS,IPS Babus. The looters must understand that they are enjoying at the cost of the poor. This is very very bad and sad.
Please Email the Editor