Building Toilets & CSR

It hardly matters whether you have got a clean toilet or not, the fact of the matter is one in every three human beings does not have any sanitary facility at all, and this affects the overall health & hygiene. “We cannot accept this situation” has been a popular stand of the political class in power; Result – A series of programmes and a lot of funds released with no consequence at ground!

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, is focusing on initiatives like elimination of open defecation and eradication of manual scavenging by 2019. So far, 4.35 lakhs of toilets have been built under the plan against the projected target of 25 lakh for 2015-16. Taking other necessary measures, the government also brought sanitation under CSR, bringing private players under the loop. As far as numbers are concerned, yes, it has made a difference. Almost all the leading companies have jumped their guns making big targets under CSR. However, we are not sure if we are any where near to our goal.

The CSR Flow

Responding to the clarion call of the Prime Minister, NTPC ltd, the largest power utility in India has constructed 24,626 toilets in and around 16,000 schools spread in 17 states and 80 districts across the country. Coal India Limited (CIL), the coal mining PSU giant, has set aside a whopping `235 crores fund, 50% of the company’s total CSR for providing hygienic sanitation in schools and in the households of underprivileged by constructing individual toilet facilities. TCS too has earmarked a budget of `100 crore for building dedicated sanitation facilities for girls in selected schools. Under the first phase of this sanitation initiative, the company has already implemented building girls’ toilets in about 1,041 schools spread across, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar. L&T has collaborated with Sulabh International on their endeavour to improve hygiene & waste management in the Country. While L&T plans to construct some 5,000 toilets, the Vedanta Group’s Hindustan Zinc would construct 10,000 and the Jaipur-based Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) University has plans to add 13,000 toilets in 6,500 schools. “In August, the Sunil Mittalled Bharati Enterprises’ development arm, Bharati Foundation, had announced `100 crore for setting up toilets in Ludhiana over the next three years. ,” reports the Hindu. 

The Great Myth of Numbers

A recent survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation found 54 toilets in M-East ward in a “very dilapidated or no-use conditions”. The study shows that out of 486 toilets in the ward, 34 were in a very dilapidated condition and another 20 were not in a condition to be used at all. There were cases where people visiting a toilet, died after falling into a septic tank. Left with no choice, no land to build new toilets, the Corporation along with TISS is now pushed to focus on analysing the situation and working towards restoring the functionality of existing toilets.

“Mixing numbers with ODF is a hoax. ODF, at large, depends on the lifestyle one does live in. In most of the villages, even though people are having toilets at home, the uses are limited to women. Men at villages have deep rooted tendency to defecate in farms,” says a Sanitation Consultant working closely with SBM on the account of anonymity. There have been discussions over the correlation between ODF and toilet numbers which analogues to the correlation between the picture quality captured by a camera and its megapixel. The big question is… whether the toilets constructed have got the requisites – water, soap and electricity or are merely the skeletons with seats inside. “In a village of Madhya Pradesh, 43 toilets were made under CSR fund, last year. However none of them are functional owing to the lack of basic needs such as water. These toilets are not made based on the ‘Pay & Use’ system hence not a sustainable model. Who is going to make water available at these sites?”

Further, these toilets, on account of design and size, remain inaccessible to a section of the society. TCS before investing under CSR did a thorough study. “While the cost of building a toilet may increase by 2.5 times with a water connection, unless the toilets have a tap, it is less likely to have any impact,” observed Vipin Arora, programme director, corporate initiatives, TCS. The situation enforced the company to work with local panchayats to avail water at the construction sites and electricity wherever possible. The company is also spending huge amount on spreading awareness about the disadvantages of OD and waterborne diseases those result from OD. However, not all the companies are going the TCS way.

Puneet Srivastava, Manager Policy-WaterAid says, “The fact is that we do not yet have a reliable Indian answer to break the cycle of build-neglect-rebuild across a wide spectrum of infra services. Toilets are just an extension of this culture. So where do we go? My long years of experience tells me to go for all possible answers for this for a challenge as big as we have.” Srivastava suggests the following:

1. Promote individual household toilets using safe on site sanitation option as far as possible.

2. For mobile population and at public places, pay and use toilets in areas where there is commercial feasibility, willingness to pay and access to improved faecal sludge management. Build up OMEX responsibility within the construction contracts at least for next five years.

3. Promote and institutionalise community managed toilets for urban and rural poor integrating with national livelihood mission wherever demand is there and overall feasibility is established.

“Plan is nothing, planning is everything”; In this new world of ‘Inception’, your dream won’t come true until each and every one associated with the dream does not feel the same pulse.

Suprita Anupam