Despite the completion of the underground drainage scheme, 1,710 households in Pallavaram Municipality still do not have toilets. The local body conducted a meeting recently to reach out to residents’ welfare associations, corporates, educational institutions and NGOs in this regard.
At the meeting, Municipal Commissioner K. Sivakumar detailed the various components of the scheme, which includes community participation in eradicating open defecation. There are various economic issues involved in providing individual household toilets, he said seeking the support of NGOs and corporates for the municipality’s efforts in keeping the city clean.
According to a survey by the Municipal Administration department, non-availability of space and lack of funds are the two main reasons for many poor families not constructing household toilets.
Many residents at the meeting also said that the Rs. 12,000 provided under various heads for construction of household toilets was not enough.
