BMC’s community toilets project down the drain

Civic body scraps it as after nearly three years, only 56 per cent of the target has been achieved; over 22,000 seats were to be constructed in a year

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has scrapped its ambitious project of increasing the number of community toilet seats by 50 per cent in slums. Under the project, sanctioned in January 2019, the BMC was to build 22,774 toilet seats within a year. But even after three years only 56 per cent of toilets are built.

The BMC had decided in 2017 to construct 16,703 toilet seats in place of old 14,173 toilet seats. In addition, 6,071 new toilet seats were supposed to be constructed. The procedure for the tender took place in 2018 and the standing committee approved the project in January 2019. As per the proposal, the toilets were supposed to be completed within a year. The amount of R422 crore was sanctioned for the project, the BMC could not provide a figure for how much of this sum was spent.

Locals inconvenienced

Residents in need of the facility say they have got nothing from the delay for the toilets and now the scrapping of the project. Amar Vishwakarma and his neighbours, residents of Anand Nagar in Jogeshwari, used a toilet in front of Saibaba Chawl till two years back. “A team from the municipal corporation came and assured us an upgraded toilet with more seats. We agreed to use a temporary toilet for a while,” said Vishwakarma.

“The earlier toilet was demolished and the construction of the new one hasn’t been completed. The work is going at a snail’s pace. The lockdown also delayed the work,” said Deepak Saroj. A woman told mid-day, the temporary toilet on the roadside is almost 5 minutes away. “People are forced to use it. There are only 5 seats of the 18 for women. Women face a lot of trouble during the night, she said. “Now, the number of seats is not going to increase. So what is the use of waiting for more than two years?” asked Vishwakarma.

Toilet constructed, but...

This is not the only case, almost every slum in Mumbai is facing the same issue. Parveen Ansari, a resident near Anand Nagar told mid-day that the construction of a nearby toilet has been completed but it hasn’t been opened yet, and they have to use the toilet on the other side of the road. “Despite continuous follow-ups with the BMC, the construction hasn’t been completed yet. The RCC construction takes its own time and there is no need to construct two/three storey toilets. It will not only delay the project but cause safety issues. Barely a few seats will increase after building a vertical toilet as stairs and other things will occupy a major portion,” said Rajul Patel, local corporator of Jogeshwari and chairman of the Health Committee. 

Many issues for the project

Though every contractor blames the pandemic, there are some other reasons. “The earlier sites were cancelled due to resistance by locals and councillors, and new sites were finalised at a very later stage in the contract period,” said a contractor. There are also some other reasons. “Some toilets are near the seashore. Continuous flow of groundwater during excavation is a major hindrance. A hilly region and the absence of sewer lines at many locations in Bhandup for instance, are causing issues. Underground utility wires like BEST cables, permission from various departments are also needed,” said a BMC official.

“We reviewed the situation and decided that the project could not be completed. I ordered the completion of the ongoing work as early as possible and cancelled the construction of the remaining toilets which hasn’t yet started,” said Dr Sangita Hasnale, deputy municipal commissioner. This is not the first time that the BMC has scrapped a project of community toilets mid-way. Between 1997 and 2018, the BMC built 14,369 toilet seats. The standing committee approved the proposal of 5,170 toilet seats in January 2016, but two-and-a-half years later, only half of them were ready and the project was scrapped.

Rs 422 cr
The amount sanctioned for the project

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