Project aimed at eradicating open defecation in 675 notified clusters

Hundreds of slums across the Capital will have new community toilet complexes by December as the Delhi government aims to declare the clusters open defecation-free before the end of this financial year.

Early deadline

Although Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced in June that all slums would be open defecation-free by March 2018, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), which is constructing the toilets, is aiming to complete the work by December this year.

According to DUSIB records, a total of 10,583 toilet seats were either constructed or renovated from February 14, 2015, when the Aam Aadmi Party government took office, till June 30 this year. In the first year of its tenure, from February 14, 2015, to March 31, 2016, the government built a total of 4,119 toilets, of which 1,287 were new and 2,832 renovated. In financial year 2016-2017, as many as 4,716 toilet seats were added, with 1,996 being new constructions and 2,800 being old toilets that were renovated.

In the current financial year, from April 1 till June 30, the DUSIB constructed or renovated 1,748 toilets.

According to senior DUSIB officials, as many as 8,400 toilets are either under construction or renovation. While all of these are likely to be finished by December, 6,500 of the toilets could be completed by September. Depending on the project, each toilet seat or cubicle costs the DUSIB ₹80,000 to ₹1.25 lakh to construct. In some slums, sewer lines are being extended so that the houses can have their own toilets, said officials.

NOC challenge

DUSIB member Bipin Rai said the government was working towards declaring the 675 notified slums in the Capital as open defecation-free. Since these slums are located on land owned by various agencies, getting no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the construction of toilet complexes had been a challenge. However, with the Centre launching the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014, the agencies under it, including the Railways and the Delhi Development Authority, have been issuing NOCs faster.

Porta cabins

In areas where land has not been secured, temporary toilets in the form of porta cabins will be constructed, so that the residents do not relieve themselves in the open. However, with around 3 lakh households in slums, the task of giving each resident access to a clean toilet is unlikely to end with the current project.