The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sanitation project in southern suburbs falls on unhealthy days

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Thursday, Jan 17, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Sanitation project in southern suburbs falls on unhealthy days

K. Manikandan

Suffers owing to lack of proper monitoring, government support

— Photo: K. Manikandan

In dire straits: The sanitary complex at Raayapettai village of Pallavaram Municipality, which is one of such facilities closed in southern suburbs of Chennai.

TAMBARAM: Lack of proper monitoring and government support have given a jolt to a Central government-assisted sanitation project in the southern suburbs of Chennai.

Public sanitary complexes with separate toilet and bathrooms for men and women and facilities to wash clothes were built in many slum pockets in municipal limits around Tambaram. These complexes were constructed through the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

The objective was to better the living conditions of slum-dwellers in the urban areas and to provide decent sanitation facilities and also to tackle the problems of open defecation. The target beneficiaries were families living below the poverty line. In Tambaram, Alandur and Pallavaram Municipalities alone, more than two dozen complexes were built of which, less than one-third that number are operational.

Of the dozen-odd complexes in Pallavaram, less than five of them are being used. In Alandur, it is even worse. Municipal authorities said that of the nearly 15 centres, a couple of them were incomplete and only three were being used. The situation is no better in other municipal areas too.

User charges

For instance, the complex in Raayapettai village of Pallavaram Municipality has been shut down for more than two years. Built in 2004, it was functioning well for more than a year.

User families made a monthly payment of Rs. 30 and the complexes were maintained well by those in charge, mostly self help groups and committees formed among local residents.

As long as the complexes were functioning, they were a tremendous success as it brought down the problems of open defecation, resulting in better sanitation.

Though the complex is still in a good condition, poor vigil from Kancheepuram district administration and the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply has resulted in crumbling of the innovative project.

In Alandur, municipal authorities said a section of residents objected to building a “public toilet” in their locality, the reason for one of them to remain incomplete while in another one, they were unable to extend the underground drainage connection.

A government official said the average cost of a VAMBAY sanitary complex was Rs.4 lakh with 10 toilet and bath rooms in both the women’s and men’s sections. In places, where the concentration of slum population was higher, they built bigger complexes at Rs. 8 lakh. While the Centre contributed 50 per cent of the project cost, the State Government and the local body shared the rest, the official said.

Just like any other public health or sanitation project, the VAMBAY sanitary complexes began to collapse owing to declining support and regular monitoring from the government agencies. When the issue was brought to his attention, Pallavaram Municipal Chairman E. Karunanidhi said a review meeting on the condition of these facilities would be held and policies chalked out to revive them.

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