Urban Sanitation

The Ministry of Urban Development has made public the results of a survey it conducted to assess the level of cleanliness in 476 cities across India. And, in keeping with the more general perceptions about order and cleanliness, a substantial number of cities from South India figured in the top 100.

Every 10 years, the government gears up to capture colossal amounts of data through its Census.

The state's high toilet coverage has compounded the problem of water pollution and diseases. It now needs an efficient and affordable sewage treatment system.

Authored By : Manu Moudgil

May 28th is celebrated as Menstrual Hygiene Day annually across the globe to raise awareness and break the silence around menstruation and menstrual hygiene management.

As part of the celebrations, WASH United, along with its partners organizes several events across continents. Here's a list of all the action in India.

Menstruation is probably one of the least talked about and ill-understood biological concepts. Despite being a natural physiological function of the female human body, similar to urination or defecation, the menstruation discourse is often shrouded by reticence.

The theme for the 2016 South Asian Conference on Sanitation is 'Better sanitation, better life'

The mere presence of toilets does very little to change sanitation behaviour in the absence of community ownership and participation. A decade ago, this was more or less the story of Tiruchirapalli, one of the least hygienic cities in the country then.

The responsibility of implementing the Swachh Bharat Mission is shared between the Ministries of Urban Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation. While the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) is responsible for sanitation in urban areas, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) is in charge of the same in rural India.

On-site sanitation systems are options which help treat the waste at source, rather than dealing with it several miles away in a centralized manner. In the absence of sewerage systems and piped supplies, communities have to devise decentralized ways to deal with their shit. Some of the most common on-site sanitation systems include septic tanks and pit latrines.

India’s status as the world leader in poor sanitation is deplorable. It may come as a surprise to many that African countries like Rwanda and Malawi have dealt with the issue of open defecation in a better manner compared to India. 70% of rural Indians, that is around 550 million people answer nature’s call out in the open.