BMC proposes toilet blocks along rly tracks……….Shweta Desai
Mumbai To tackle the problem of stench emanating from the railway tracks, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has proposed construction of 31 toilet blocks with 890 seats to prevent slumdwellers from defecating on the tracks.
A survey carried out by non-governmental organisation Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) for the civic administration revealed that 75,950 slumdwellers reside along the railway tracks — majority of them at Kandivli (12,000), Dahisar and Mulund (10,000) and Wadala Road (8,000). However, the lack of sanitation facilities in these areas forces the slumdwellers to defecate on the tracks. Of the 35 stations where the BMC plans to construct the toilets, hutments near 13 stations have zero toilet facilities.
A survey carried out by non-governmental organisation Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) for the civic administration revealed that 75,950 slumdwellers reside along the railway tracks — majority of them at Kandivli (12,000), Dahisar and Mulund (10,000) and Wadala Road (8,000). However, the lack of sanitation facilities in these areas forces the slumdwellers to defecate on the tracks. Of the 35 stations where the BMC plans to construct the toilets, hutments near 13 stations have zero toilet facilities.
“The problem has been persisting for more than five decades but has increased now as more hutments have encroached on the railway land. Open defecation not only reflects bad civic sense but is also risky as people squat on the tracks on which trains run every few minutes,” said chief engineer (Sewerage Operation) D L Shinde.
In the survey, SPARC has studied the available toilet seats, number of hutments and proposed toilet seats required for the existing population (see box). The toilet blocks have been proposed on the availability of open land near the tracks.
Civic officials said that they need written permission from railway authorities to go ahead with the construction. “They have welcomed the idea and also given their nod for the project but we will require sanctions from the Railway Ministry to use the land for toilet block construction,” official handling the project said. The civic administration is also working out the details of the cost and who will fund the project. “These blocks will not be RCC construction but temporary mobile units or with load bearing structures,” the official added.
The maximum toilet blocks will be constructed on Western Railway premises between Mahim and Dahisar: 24 for a population of 42,950. On CR, between Sion and Mulund three blocks will come up for 22,500 people and Harbour line will have four blocks for 10,500 hutments between Wadala and Chunabhatti.
Sanitation facilities
309 – existing toilet seats
15,360 – hutments
75,950 – slumdwellers
31 – proposed toilet blocks
890 – proposed toilet seats