How Swachh Are Bharat’s Toilets? The Quint Does a Reality Check

Toilet – Ek Aur Katha: From fancy ones, to dirty ones, to none.

Did you know that you can even contract a sexually transmitted disease from a toilet seat?

(Photo: The Quint)

If you think lack of access to proper sanitation, especially for women, is just a rural issue, then you couldn’t be more wrong. It is a reality in urban spaces as well.

Amidst demands for clean toilets in rural areas, to stop open defecation, we tend to ignore the state of accessibility to sanitation in Tier I and Tier II cities and towns.

The Quint did a simple experiment to gauge the state of access to proper sanitation in urban spaces. We mapped all the accessible toilets 15 km from India Gate, around Noida Sector 18 and Nithari village. The results were far from satisfactory.

Within a distance of one kilometre or so, both frequency and the quality of accessible sanitation fell drastically. We also found that open defecation isn’t just a rural issue.

We agree. Our sample within Delhi NCR doesn't speak for the whole country. But you can also add to this sample. Try and find out if you have access to proper sanitation in your neighbourhood.

Here's a simple question you need to ask yourself: What do I do when I am on the go and need to use the toilet or loo?

If the answer to that is anything between “hold it in till I get home” and “do it openly at the side of the streets” then Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has failed to provide you with the promised access to sanitation.

Under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, out of a target of 1,00,000 community and public toilet seats in urban areas by March 2016, only 28 percent (28,948) have been constructed, as per data submitted to Lok Sabha

Source: <a href="http://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/swachh-bharat-urban-toilet-plan-76-behind-schedule-34029">India Spend</a>

As of March 2017, the figure stands at 1.10 lakh public toilets as per Ministry Of Urban Development's Annual Report. That is a little above 2016’s target. It clearly shows that urban India's 'Sampurna Swachhata', along with its rightful access to proper sanitation, has a long way to go.

Producers: Papri Das and Garvita Khybri
Editor: Kunal Mehra and Ashish Mccune
Cameraperson: Abhay Sharma