Petrol Pump Slum in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

From a developmental standpoint, end of 2015 holds special significance. This year-end marks the deadline for the 2000 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) charted by The United Nations and world leaders. During the ensuing fifteen years, given that India’s focus has been on economic growth, wealth creation, and foreign investments, there are some critical development goals it will not meet. One such instance is Goal 7, which is “Ensure Environmental Sustainability”. Particularly, Target 7c under Goal 7 relates to sanitation:

“Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”.

Sanitation is not a standalone problem. It is no coincidence that India is off track on these three related MDGs –

1. Child mortality
2. Maternal Mortality
3. Access to improved sanitation

Much has been written about sanitation woes in rural India. But I was interested in finding out the state of affairs in an urban slum. I knew there were slums near my residence and was eager to see what sanitation facilities these people had.  For purposes of census, a slum is defined as “residential areas where dwellings are unfit for human habitation”. Proportion of slum households to total urban households was 14.6% in Delhi according to census 2011.

View of Petrol Pump Slum area

On a not very busy weekend, my housekeeper, who is a very resourceful lady, agreed to take me to the Petrol Pump Basti (Hindi word for Slum) in Vasant Kunj. Located across Aruna Asaf Ali Road from Vasant Square Mall, this sprawling area is home to thousands of families that live in shanties. This basti originally coagulated into existence in 1992 and got a new lease of life last year. On April 26, 2014, a cylinder blast caused a huge fire, which gutted the entire basti. According to the residents, the fire brigade was very late arriving at the scene and major damage was already done. Luckily, there were no casualties. The residents have since rebuilt all the jhuggis (Jhuggi is Hindi word for shanty).

Entrance to the Basti from Aruna Asaf Ali Road

When I visited the place in December 2014, the residents said there were about 1,300 to 1,400 families living there, adding up to a population of anywhere between 8,000 to 10,000 people. Most of these families have migrated to Delhi from West Bengal (mainly Cooch Behar), and few from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, all of them in search of employment. While majority of the men are rag pickers, many women work as house maids in Vasant Kunj. Average household income is between Rs.5,000 and Rs.6,000. Many families that I spoke to had their children with them in the basti, while some said they left their children behind in villages with family members. When I inquired about schooling, parents said many children attend a Sarkari (government) School nearby. They also said four people from an NGO in Munirka, whose name they couldn’t recollect, come to teach the children few days every week.

Most of the men folk in the basti are rag pickers

When I inquired about the history of the place, several residents referred me to a tailor, who owns a shop and lives in the basti. His store was conveniently located, where he had the opportunity for catching up with residents passing by and occasional tête-à-tête. The tailor has spent twenty years here. But he said very little has changed over the last two decades. With most residents speaking Bangla, a huge relief is they are no longer mistaken as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Today, even the police know they are Indians. That is the best progress he could recall.

The tailor was also forthcoming with information about electricity and other utilities. Owing to the disputed land, although the occupants have applied and requested for electricity, there is no legal power connection to this establishment. There is power to a Masjid within the basti, which is distributed to the residents at whopping rupees ten per unit. Apparently there is also a temple in the basti, with power. The tailor also mentioned that almost all residents have a gas connection and most of them have an Aadhar ID and bank account. Every one we spoke to had a cell phone.

From what I gathered from the tailor and other passers by who were offering information, water and sanitation are grave concerns. Under the initiative of Mr. Yoganand Shastri, Congress MLA, Delhi Jal Board (organization responsible for supply of potable water to National Capital Territory of Delhi) now brings water to this basti once a week. With that frequency, understandably, every shack we stepped into had buckets, cans, and utensils filled with water. Several areas around the houses also had tanks for water storage. Apparently, a tanker costs Rs.800, and the residents pool the amount. 

View of cans inside a shack and containers outside -- all filled with water

None of the houses in the basti have a toilet. A large piece of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land adjoining the basti – and cleaned recently -- serves as the open defecation zone for children, men, and women. Women usually go in groups and understandably, they refrain from going out at night. The occupants said that most houses have enough space to construct a toilet, but because of the land dispute, the government has shown no resolve to install sewer lines and drainage.

The land to the right here is the open defecation zone for people of the basti

Force, an NGO located in Vasant Kunj, installed mobile toilets in the area eight months ago. These operate on bio-digester technology developed by DRDO (http://drdoficciatac.com/TechnologyDetails.aspx?TechID=T00004). This technology uses bacteria to treat fecal waste and is low on maintenance and installation cost and does not require a sewerage system. It has been successfully implemented in some legs of Indian Railways. However, the residents in the basti said they need water to use these toilets and keep them clean.  Given the shortage of water, no one is using these toilets. Squatting in the open, which requires just a can of water, presents itself as a convenient alternative. And there is no obligation to keep anything clean.

Folks at Force said that they are aware of this issue and are working on water supply to these mobile toilets in collaboration with government and other non-governmental organizations. But they had no definite deadline for the same. So for these people, open defecation is the only way, at least for now. 

Mobile toilets using bio-digester technology installed in the Basti by Force, an NGO

At least in this urban slum, water seems to be the biggest deterrent against basic sanitation facilities. In the absence of water, mobile toilets and communal toilets are not of much use. In such cases, peepoo (a single use, biodegradable toilet bag which can then be used as fertilizer) or composting toilets may be viable alternatives to start with.