Nearly 60% public toilets need urgent repairs, finds study
Survey recommends apex-level sanitation body and audit of toilet amenities.
A week after Kalpana Pimple, 45, drowned in a septic tank in Mankhurd when the floor of the public toilet gave way, residents of Maharashtra Nagar slum have joined hands with activists to demand a comprehensive overhaul of the city’s sanitation facilities for slums.
After the death of Kalpana Pimple, 45, on March 4locals alleged that no BMC official had visited the site post her death or come forward to offer compensation to her children Snehal (19) and Prateek (17).
“The quality of construction of the toilet, which was built just five years ago, is so visibly poor that it is truly inexcusable the authorities cleared it for public use. This is not an isolated tragedy but a systematic crime,” said Centre chairperson Sudheendra Kulkarni, who has written to municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte and CM Devendra Fadnavis demanding demolition of the toilet and compensation for Pimple’s children.
“Most public toilets are not connected to municipal sewer lines and their septic tanks have not been desludged in decades. The lack of proper vents weakens the floor above the tank, making a majority of such septic tanks potential ‘bombs’ that can explode due to over-accumulation of noxious gases,” said Payal Tiwari, TISS alumni and author of the study.
Findings
♦ 20% of city’s slum population defecates in the open
♦ Around 200 slums have no sanitation facilities
♦ Shortfall of 65,000 public toilet seats (Norm: 1 seat/ 50 people)
♦ Only 1 toilet seat per 1,800 women
♦ Nearly 78% of slum toilets do not have water, 58% lack electricity
♦ 60% of septic tanks in need of urgent maintenance
♦ 80% of untreated sewage released directly into sea
Recommendations
♦ Single, empowered and apex-level Mumbai Sanitation and Cleanliness Authority (MSCA) under BMC to take over from multiple agencies including MHADA, MMRDA
♦ Structural audit of all community and public toilets, followed by demolition and reconstruction of all hazardous structures
♦ Audit of amenities like water and electricity supply
♦ Provision for specially designed children’s toilets
♦ Ban on ad-hoc construction of toilets by MPs, MLAs and corporators that research suggests are poorly maintained and constructed
Worst offenders
♦ F North Ward (Matunga, Sion): Only 2 of 201 toilets have electricity
♦ F South Ward (Sewri, Naigaon, Parel): 0 of 135 toilets have water connections
♦ M East Ward (Chembur, Govandi, Mankhurd, Deonar): Only 12 of 429 toilets connected to sewer lines
(Data courtesy: Observer Research Foundation/Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Sanitation, Cleanliness, and Community Health)
A week after Kalpana Pimple, 45, drowned in a septic tank in Mankhurd when the floor of the public toilet gave way, residents of Maharashtra Nagar slum have joined hands with activists to demand a comprehensive overhaul of the city’s sanitation facilities for slums.
After the death of Kalpana Pimple, 45, on March 4locals alleged that no BMC official had visited the site post her death or come forward to offer compensation to her children Snehal (19) and Prateek (17).
Activists with the Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Sanitation, Cleanliness and Community Health held a public hearing on Sunday in Maharashtra Nagar, during which residents related their sanitation woes. On Wednesday, the organization shared findings of a ‘Toilet Torture in Mumbai’s Slums’, a recent study conducted across seven slums.
“The quality of construction of the toilet, which was built just five years ago, is so visibly poor that it is truly inexcusable the authorities cleared it for public use. This is not an isolated tragedy but a systematic crime,” said Centre chairperson Sudheendra Kulkarni, who has written to municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte and CM Devendra Fadnavis demanding demolition of the toilet and compensation for Pimple’s children.
“Most public toilets are not connected to municipal sewer lines and their septic tanks have not been desludged in decades. The lack of proper vents weakens the floor above the tank, making a majority of such septic tanks potential ‘bombs’ that can explode due to over-accumulation of noxious gases,” said Payal Tiwari, TISS alumni and author of the study.
Findings
♦ 20% of city’s slum population defecates in the open
♦ Around 200 slums have no sanitation facilities
♦ Shortfall of 65,000 public toilet seats (Norm: 1 seat/ 50 people)
♦ Only 1 toilet seat per 1,800 women
♦ Nearly 78% of slum toilets do not have water, 58% lack electricity
♦ 60% of septic tanks in need of urgent maintenance
♦ 80% of untreated sewage released directly into sea
Recommendations
♦ Single, empowered and apex-level Mumbai Sanitation and Cleanliness Authority (MSCA) under BMC to take over from multiple agencies including MHADA, MMRDA
♦ Structural audit of all community and public toilets, followed by demolition and reconstruction of all hazardous structures
♦ Audit of amenities like water and electricity supply
♦ Provision for specially designed children’s toilets
♦ Ban on ad-hoc construction of toilets by MPs, MLAs and corporators that research suggests are poorly maintained and constructed
Worst offenders
♦ F North Ward (Matunga, Sion): Only 2 of 201 toilets have electricity
♦ F South Ward (Sewri, Naigaon, Parel): 0 of 135 toilets have water connections
♦ M East Ward (Chembur, Govandi, Mankhurd, Deonar): Only 12 of 429 toilets connected to sewer lines
(Data courtesy: Observer Research Foundation/Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Sanitation, Cleanliness, and Community Health)
