The Hindu       27.12.2017  

Focus on toilet infrastructure to improve city’s ‘swachh’ ranking

BBMP opts for steel structures; nearly 2,500 community toilets, 3,500 household toilets being put up

In a bid to improve Bengaluru’s Swachh Bharat rankings, the civic administration is finally focussing on filling the gap in toilet infrastructure. But in a hurry to meet the March 31, 2018 Swachh Sarvekshan deadline, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has opted for a quick-fix solution and begun work to put up nearly 2,500 community toilets and 3,500 household toilets using mountable steel structures instead of building permanent ones.

Bengaluru ranked 210 in the recent Swachh Bharat rankings, a steep drop from 38 the previous year. One of the many reasons for the drop in rankings was that the evaluation procedure had earmarked 600 marks or 30% of the total 2,000 for making the city open defecation-free. Bengaluru scored a zero in the category, as no part of the city was declared open defecation-free.

The BBMP recently conducted a survey of toilets in the city to fill gaps in infrastructure as the first step towards declaring the city open defecation-free. The survey revealed that migrant labourers, especially construction workers and children in slum pockets, were the most prone to open defecation.

However, based on findings of the report and certification by heads of all government schools in the particular wards, the BBMP council recently adopted a resolution declaring 109 of the 198 wards open defecation-free. All these are in the core city. The BBMP will have to issue a public notification declaring these wards as open defecation-free, following which people can submit objections, which needs to be addressed before the wards are finally declared open defecation-free.

Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Health, BBMP, said the survey revealed that over 3,500 households did not have toilets and there was a need for 2,500 community and public toilets. “Swachh Bharat programme provides subsidy to build toilets, which we are using and have already begun work to build these toilets,” he said. A household toilet costs Rs. 14,000 for which the Union government provides most of the subsidy, and a community toilet costs Rs. 94,000, of which the Union government bears Rs. 54,000 and the rest the civic body and the State government pitch in, he said.

The BBMP has opted for a toilet from Tata Steel, a mountable steel toilet that can be installed in just two days. The model of the toilet and the vendor are both empanelled by Swachh Bharat Mission, sources said. Mr. Khan said individual households still had the option to opt for concrete structures.