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India, Mumbai: largest sanitation project nearing completion

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 80% of the country’s largest sanitation project, Nirmal Mumbai Metropolitan Region Sanitation Abhiyan. “After conducting surveys, we found that the backlog between the demand and supply was around 25,000 seats,” said Ashwini Bhide, joint metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA. The project was started in February 2008 with the intention of providing areas with community toilets. The completion date is 1 May 2010. Of the 24,000 toilets planned, which includes urinals, 19,000 are ready for use. The project covers five municipal corporations and 13 municipal councils in the metropolitan region, which includes the suburbs and Thane.

Most toilets are built by demolishing the defunct ones,” said CK Patil, chief of Nirmal Abhiyan. There are separate toilets for women, men, children and handicapped people, bathrooms and washbasins, and a room for the caretakers. The centres have continuous water and electricity supply, and have a usage charge of Rs30 to Rs50 [Euro 0.50 to 0.83] per month, per family. Passes are given to each family and records are kept by the carettaker.