Ashok Aggarwal, who works for the cause of school children in government schools, has filed several PILs in connection with the issue of toilets in schools. Excerpts of an interview with him:
Do you think the toilet situation in government schools has improved since the Swachh Bharat campaign was launched?
We keep visiting schools in areas like Nizamuddin, Wazirpur, Bawana and Shahbad Dairy. There has been slight improvement in the condition of toilets in schools, but largely the scenario has not changed. There are still some schools in Outer Delhi areas where students do not use the toilets as they are dirty, and they are forced to relieve themselves out in the open.
The government had stressed upon giving importance to more facilities for girls. What is happening in that area?
Forget about facilities like sanitary napkins and a system to dispose of the napkins, even the toilets are not usable.
If girls use these toilets, they can get infections like UTI. In fact, unhygienic condition of toilets is one of the main reasons behind a large number of drop-outs from government schools.
What do you think is the main cause of the problem?
When the government spends money in building toilets, it should also spend money on maintenance. In most of the schools we visited, availability of water was a major issue.
The Delhi government has promised that Jal Board water will reach all the schools by October 2015, but how it will happen is not known.
In Okhla, there are many schools that do not even have water pipes. There are many areas where there are no sewer lines. How is one supposed to construct or clean a toilet without sewer lines?
