Toilets and Urinals

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September 26, 2022 This study found that the sanitary quality of neighbourhood drains, in addition to toilets, affected sanitation and hygiene and incidences of ill-health in rural households.
Dirty drainages, harbingers of illhealth. Image for representation only (Image Source: SuSanA Secretariat via Wikimedia Commons)
December 2, 2021 Public toilets and choice of work for women
Separation between women and men’s toilets (Image: Rajesh Pamnani; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
July 6, 2021 If trends persist, billions will be left without critical, life-saving WASH services, says a SDG monitoring report

Between 2016 and 2020, the global population with safely managed drinking water at home increased from 70% to 74% (Image: Pxhere)
May 11, 2021 Bathing spaces and not toilets alone, aid women in maintaining health and hygiene. It is time the Swachh Bharat Mission pays attention to bathing spaces as well!
A temperory bathing space with no water and privacy in a fishing village in Tamil Nadu (Image Source: India Water Portal)
December 20, 2020 The cost and revenue projections for both on-demand and scheduled desludging scenarios were elaborated upon in the faecal sludge management plan for Dhen­kanal Municipality.
Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant at Dhenkanal, Odisha
December 18, 2020 Project Nirmal helped Odisha to become a front runner among states with a comprehensive policy framework on faecal sludge management.
Odisha is trying to fa­cilitate adoption of FSM by Urban Local Bodies so that sewage, septage/ faecal sludge, and liquid waste is safely managed, treated, and dis­posed. (Image: SCI-FI, CPR)
Tech to tackle sewer deaths
With government apathetic towards sewer deaths from manual scavenging, individuals and organisations are coming up with tech solutions to stop the practice. Posted on 21 Oct, 2018 11:44 AM

Anil (40) died on September 14, 2018 while clearing a block in a sewage line at Dabri, a locality in north-west Delhi. Cleaners hired by state governments and civic bodies are supposed to be provided safety equipment like gas masks, goggles, gumshoes, gloves, safety belt etc. Yet, Anil was unprotected when he died of asphyxiation due to the presence of poisonous gas in the gutter.

Women who took part at the India SaniTech Forum say that they want to ensure there are no more deaths from manual scavenging. (Image: India Water Portal)
Swachh Bharat Mission: It’s all about numbers
As Swachh Bharat Mission is racing towards its 2019 deadline, a CAG report reveals that sanitation is not a one-time exercise and there is a need to look beyond the deadline. Posted on 02 Oct, 2018 11:06 PM

We have just a year to go for Swachh Bharat Mission’s (SBM) deadline of making India open-defecation free (ODF). In the last four years, the government has built 86.08 million toilets (as on September 26, 2018) throughout the country as a part of this flagship programme on providing safe sanitation to all by October 2019.

Sanitation is not just about constructing toilets. (Image: India Water Portal)
Dam safety project gets additional funds
Policy matters this week Posted on 25 Sep, 2018 05:40 PM

Additional funds of over Rs 1,300 crore allocated to dam safety project

Hirakud dam, the oldest dam in India (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
UP needs to treat its sewage
An RTI application reveals huge gaps in sewage treatment infrastructure in UP. Posted on 24 Sep, 2018 03:17 PM

Uttar Pradesh generates second most urban sewage in India at 12 percent of the national total behind only Maharashtra at 13 percent.

Excess sewage from the Bhairon nala (drain) in Agra flows into the brimming Yamuna. (Photo courtesy: Sumit Chaturvedi)
Jaundice grips Raipur
Faulty pipelines and lack of proper sewage treatment plants are some of the causes of increasing jaundice cases in Raipur. Posted on 20 Sep, 2018 04:09 PM

The family of Somesh Manikpuri of Amasivani colony in Raipur is still in shock of his sudden demise from jaundice in May this year. Six similar deaths have been reported from Raipur since April 2018. Memsingh Chandrakar, a resident of Naharpara, another locality in Raipur, was also affected by jaundice in May.

A view of the Shakti Nagar slum area in Raipur. (Source: India Water Portal)
Floods wreak havoc in Kerala
News this week Posted on 15 Aug, 2018 10:03 AM

Kerala floods take 38 lives, severe loss reported

An aeriel view of the flooded locality of Aluva after heavy rains in Kerala. (Source: India TV)
In the business of transformation
A toilet complex managed by college students sets an example of a sustainable model for accessing sanitation. Posted on 02 Aug, 2018 04:11 PM

Pramod Kumar Singh, the caretaker of a community toilet complex in northwest Delhi’s Sultanpuri area is proud about its upkeep. The complex, built by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and inaugurated in 2016, is well maintained with beautiful landscaping, posters and wall art.

Delhi Street Art has painted cartoons and caricatures on the walls to attract people to the community toilet complex at Sultanpuri. (Image: Project Raahat, Enactus)
Groundwater contamination adds to India's water woes
News this week Posted on 31 Jul, 2018 01:29 PM

India's water woes increase due to depleted and contaminated groundwater: Government

A well in Rajasthan. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Challenges of being a ‘Prerak’
The job of a Swachh Bharat Mission Prerak is to ensure the mission is completed on time. They have many hurdles to cross before reaching the finishing line. Posted on 27 Jul, 2018 01:35 PM

Most of Etawah, a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in Uttar Pradesh, has plenty of stories to share about their favourite leader Daddaji or Mulayam Singh Yadav, one of the former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh. The area bordering the ravines near Chambal, on the other hand, resounds with tales of dacoits like Phoolan Devi, Seema Parihar and Nirbhay Gujjar.

Divyanshu Seth and Aishwarya Mishra (second and third from left in the first row) during a menstrual hygiene management session. (Pic courtesy: Divyanshu Seth)
No water security without water quality
A study points out that pit latrines with onsite sanitation systems are a source of groundwater contamination. Posted on 16 Jul, 2018 10:19 AM

Groundwater is a major source of water for a large number of Indians with 66 percent rural households and 27 percent urban households directly depending on it for drinking purposes, as per Census 2011.

Unsanitary conditions lead to groundwater contamination. (Image: SuSanA Secretariat, Attribution [CC BY 2.0])
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