1.
CONTEXT ATTRIBUTES This infographic represents Context Attrubutes (1-12) which impact the quality of sanitation in urban slums in India. These attributes were
impacting the quality of sanitation in distilled from the synthesis of visit 01 (Location selection). They represent a potential correlation with the state of sanitation in a location.
urban slums Each attribute is described by way of case studies and the final locations (A-J) represent some of these context attributes.
ROLE OF What is the voice of women in creation, ROLE priority is given to special user groups
What OF SPECIAL
A
WOMEN administration and management of (such as women, children and the elderly) in
WOMEN USER GROUP
sanitation infrastructure for the community? PRITAMPURA, relation to sanitation?
DELHI
Women united By the people
For women, by women For the people
1 7
B
Women without a voice A D Against the people
ZAMRUDHPUR,
TRIGGERS What are the obvious and non obvious DELHI What is the community’s ability to access ACCESS TO
FOR triggers for people to come together? services on demand (such as cleaning, SERVICES
COLLECTIVE water, repair etc)? RELATED TO
C
Building communities to become H
ACTION PEENYA, SANITATION
self-sufficient “The govt. is prompt when we complain”
Crises that unite people
BANGALORE
“What governance??”
2 Temporality which has left people listless G 8
MANAGED
SANITATION
SERVICES
What is the modality of maintenance and
managing operations at the facility?
D
MIRZAPUR,
AHMEDABAD
What is the burden of population on existing
sanitation facilities?
SANITATION
DENSITY
E
Maintainance by a private contractor G One to few
Maintainance by a civil society E HAPPY COLONY, One to many
3 Maintainance by community PUNE C No toilets 9
F
ACCOUNTABILITY & Is there evidence of the community taking What is the community’s awareness of AWARENESS
OWNERSHIP charge of their sanitation infrastructure? RAM TEKDI, sanitation schemes, organizations or
OF SHARED PUNE interventions?
SANITATION FACILITY
Collective measures which keep things going I Everyone identifies with development efforts
G
To each his own A few identify with development efforts
4 Shrug it off D MATHIKERE, What development efforts? 10
BANGALORE
CHANGE Have there been a shifts in the behavior of What is the degree of heterogeneity or COMPOSITION
H
IN the community as a whole towards homogeneity of a community? OF A
BEHAVIOR sanitation? GOVANDI, COMMUNITY
MUMBAI Highly heterogeneous community
Out with the old H
Indifference to status quo C C Mixed community
5 11
I
Fight the new E Highly homogenous community
JANTA CHAWL,
MUMBAI
PERMANENCE What is the sense of permanence that a What is the level or ease of access the ACCESS TO
OF SITUATION community has with respect to housing and community has to sanitation facilities? SANITATION
tenancy?
J
FACILITIES
We are here to stay KHODIYAR NAGAR,
Embedded within community
Here today, gone tomorrow AHMEDABAD
A Located on the periphery
6 We are waiting for the big shift G Have no access to facilities 12
UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India | Quicksand | August 2010

2.
CONTEXT ATTRIBUTES AND ASSOCIATED CASE STUDIES
1 ROLE OF WOMEN equip them with the knowledge to make them self monthly pass system goes towards his salary and
sufficient. In Govandi they formed a local Mandal maintenance costs. SPARC employs these caretakers
What is the voice of women in creation,
(an administrative division) comprising enthusiastic and gives them a space to live above the community
administration and management of sanitation
and challenged community members, who were toilet block as an incentive. This is a model used in
infrastructure for the community?
instrumental in getting a new toilet built and for the most of their toilets in Mumbai and Pune.
subsequent running and maintenance of the toilet
Women united - Parvati, Pune: Women from the
facility. Maintenance by the community - Bora ka Roza,
Mahila Milan do everything from starting saving
Ahmedabad: Bora ka Roza is a small community,
groups (Bachat Yojna) to surveying land for making
Crises that unite people - Sakalchand Mukhini that lies on the periphery of the railway tracks. The
new toilets to building and maintaining them.
Chali, Ahmedabad: Residents living next to an residents of the area have a 4 seat community toilet
They believe that by setting examples in different
unkempt public toilet came together and went to block (2 -men, 2-women) that is maintained and run
communities all over Pune, they might be able to
the local district court to compel the Ahmedabad by themselves.
address the plight that women suffer when they
Municipal corporation into maintaining the facility.
have no access to sanitation facilities.
4 ACCOUNTABILITY AND OWNERSHIP OF
G Temporality which has left people listless –
For women, by women - Kashiwadi, Pune: An COMMONLY SHARED SANITATION FACILITY
Matikere, Bangalore: The people who were recently
older toilet in the Kashiwadi slum that has a single Is there evidence of the community taking charge of
moved to the slum under the flyover by force are
access was converted into an women-only toilet their sanitation infrastructure?
not able to band together to approach the MLA
as they didn’t want to share the facility with men.
(A Member of the Legislative Assembly, elected
This is one of the only facilities where we found I Collective measures which keep things going -
by the voters) or the slum board to advance their
a woman caretaker (from the community) who is Janta Chawl, Bandra, Mumbai: There are 2 MHADA
relocation and there have been only sporadic
responsible for collecting money, buying cleaning (Maharashtra Housing And Development Authority)
efforts by individual to make somethings happen
supplies, cleaning and maintaining the place. built toilets in this small Chawl (a type of building
with little or no effect.
found in commonly in Mumbai. They are often 4 to
A Women without a voice - GP Block, Pitampura, 5 stories with about 10 to 20 tenements) in Bandra
Delhi: There is no provision for bathing at the that are currently not being maintained by the BMC
3 MANAGED SANITATION SERVICES
community toilet. While the men bathe in the open (Bombay Municipal Corporation). The residents of
What is the modality of maintenance and managing
there are no covered spaces for women to bathe. the area clean the toilet by themselves and keep the
There is no women’s organization in the community operations at the facility?
booths under lock and key. Every household has a
putting forward proposals to meet the needs or key to the toilet booth, to keep the cleanliness under
alleviate the plight and poor conditions facing Maintenance by a private contractor - Babrekar
Nagar, Kandivali and Jogeshwari, Mumbai: are 2 control.
women living in the slum.
of the many toilets that are run completely by a
private contractor for profit, such that the caretaker To each his own - Gosavi Basti, Karvenagar, Pune:
and all expenses for keeping the place running Residents of the Basti (A slum, usually congested
2 TRIGGERS FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION with high population density) have been against
What are the obvious and non obvious triggers for (cleaning, maintenance, electricity and water bills)
are paid for by the contractor. the construction of a new, better pay-and-use
people to come together? toilet in place of the broken down existing PMC
E Maintenance by a civil society - Chouhan Basti, (Pune Municipal Corporation) toilet. When the
H Building communities to become self sufficient toilet gets really filthy, people clean the toilet for
Happy Colony, Karvenagar, Pune: The SPARC toilet
- Govandi, Mumbai: SPARC’s ‘modus operandi’ themselves or hire a cleaner and continue using it
in Chouhan Basti has a caretaker that has been
is to engage certain parts of a community and till conditions worsen again.
hired by the NGO. The money collected by the
UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India | Quicksand | August 2010

3.
CONTEXT ATTRIBUTES AND ASSOCIATED CASE STUDIES
public toilets have a total of 8 seats, the women and
D Shrug it off - Mirzapur, Ahmedabad: The 6 PERMANENCE OF SITUATION children of the community use these and the men
community toilets in Mirzapur were one of the most
What is the sense of permanence that a community defecate next to the railway tracks.
poorly maintained toilet facilities we witnessed.
Children defecate outside the toilet block, while has with respect to housing and tenancy?
For the people - Ahmedabad, Mumbai & Pune:
adults tread the feces and go into the dirtier toilets.
We are here to stay - Vivekananda Colony & Pucca Community toilets provide free access to women
A major complaint from the community is the
houses in Timber Layout, Bangalore: These are and kids whereas the men have to pay-for-use.
lack of basic toilet etiquette by women and their
communities that have ownership over the land on Although it is a good move to incentivize use for
sanitary habits.
which their houses are built, with the result that both the user groups, and women do benefit from
they have proper electricity and water meters and it, children mostly defecate right outside the homes
can easily avail themselves of government schemes as their parents feel they are too young to go to the
5 CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR
like construction of private toilets & renovation of toilet alone.
Have there been a shifts in the behavior of the
housing structures upon submission of ownership
community as a whole towards sanitation? Against the people - Mirzapur, Ahmedabad:
papers. D
Children are bullied by hurried morning
H Out with the old - Govandi, Gautamnagar,
Here today, gone tomorrow - Lohiya Nagar, Pune: commuters into defecating outside the toilet block.
Mumbai: Irritated residents from Govandi who were
The residents of Lohiya Nagar have been living in
unhappy with the current state of their community
poorly constructed houses for a while. They hope 8 ACCESS TO SERVICES RELATED TO
toilet, filed a complaint with the Municipal
to get relocated to one of the newly constructed
Corporation and after a year of petitioning got SANITATION
Relocation Housing Programs. Since none of them
the BMC to rebuild a newer bigger toilet for the What is the community’s ability to access services on
know when it is going to happen (right now only
expanding community. demand (such as cleaning, water, repair etc)?
residents from collapsed homes are being relocated)
C Indifference to status quo - Ashwathpura Slum,
they are living in a state of suspension.
“The govt. is prompt when we complain” -
Peenya: The residents of the slum, since first settling Chouhan Basti, Karve Nagar, Pune: In Chouhan
G We are waiting for the big shift – Matikere,
here 30 years ago, have had open defecation as the basti, the PMC toilet is cleaned by a caretaker hired
Bangalore: The residents have been relocated to
only available sanitation option. Recently they have by them. The cleaner is supposed to clean the toilet
accommodations under the the flyover provided
been forced to look for new options as the space block everyday but often doesn’t turn up. When the
by the BBMP, with an assurance that the residents
is under threat but rather than look for a new and condition of toilets become really bad the residents
will be given land elsewhere for the construction
better alternative they are simply looking for new complain to the local counsellor and within the
of permanent houses. Since a loose time frame
open spaces to defecate in. next 1 or 2 days the issue is taken care of. This has
of 6 months has been defined, the community
collectively feels “In-Transit” thus contributing to almost become a regular cycle of events for the
Fight the new - Gosavi Basti, Karve Nagar, Pune: residents of this community.
their apathy.
The older inhabitants of Gosavi Basti still go to a
broken down PMC toilet even though a newer and “What governance??” - Yamuna Basti, Delhi: This
cleaner community toilet has been constructed in 7 SPECIAL USER GROUPS is an illegal settlement on the banks of Yamuna.
the neighbouring cluster. They prefer not to use the What priority is given to special user groups (such The government doesn’t provide services such as
new toilet as they don’t like the residents of that as women, children and the elderly) in relation to sewage, electricity etc. The residents also are wary
area and continue to suffer. sanitation? about approaching the authorities and demanding
services because of the fear of their illegal
By the people - Vivekananda Colony: Since the settlement getting demolished.
UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India | Quicksand | August 2010

4.
CONTEXT ATTRIBUTES AND ASSOCIATED CASE STUDIES
housing of these groups. We witnessed people using
A few identify with development efforts - Parvati, only the toilets in “their” area.
9 SANITATION DENSITY
Pune: When we asked the residents of Parvati,
What is the burden of population on existing sanitation who built the toilet blocks in their community E Highly homogeneous community - Ashwathpura
facilities? they shrugged it off saying maybe it was the govt. Slum, Peenya: All the residents in the community
whereas it was built by the Mahila Milan and are from from one of three districts Gulbarg,
G One to few - Mathikere, Bangalore: In this SPARC. Even though they engage the people while Raichur or Yagiri, all of which are in Karnataka.
temporary settlement of 43 houses, the government building the toilets, only a handful of the involved
has made one toilet and bathroom for every eight members of the community are aware of if.
homes. These toilets are separated from the housing 12 ACCESS TO SANITATION FACILITIES
by a street and are completely free to use. What development efforts? - Swatantra Nagar, What is the level or ease of access the community has
Bangalore: While a toilet was being built by an NGO, to sanitation facilities?
One to many - Sudamapuri, Modinagar, Delhi: WSUP (Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor)
Within this slum of 500+ homes, there is only 1 on the periphery of the slum, the community was Embedded within community - Jogeshwari,
community toilet with 15 stalls that is run operated unable to identify or relate with the organisation Mumbai: There are two community toilets (1 by
by a NGO. It is a pay-per-use toilet and does not and effort being made. They were passive observers SPARC and another by Janseva) that are right in
have a pass system. to the new development. the middle of the slum. Both of these toilets are
relatively well maintained. The community is
C No toilets - Peenya, Bangalore: In this settlement,
actively involved in maintaining the toilet and
there are 300+ homes out of which 150+ are brick 11 COMPOSITION OF A COMMUNITY contributes funds on its own for upkeep.
houses with land registration, electricity meters
What is the degree of heterogeneity or homogeneity of
provided by the government etc. However, there is
a community? Located on the periphery - GP Block, Pitampura,
NO community toilet that caters to this community - A
government or otherwise. Delhi: This slum of 1500+ houses in Delhi has 3
Highly heterogeneous community - Vatsalatai distinct community sanitation facilities all located
Nagar, Mumbai: This is a slum that is a mix on the periphery of the slum. People choose the
of commercial establishments (low cost sanitation facility they use based on proximity and
10 AWARENESS manufacturing, garbage sorting business) and slum the state of maintenance. These facilities are seen as
What is the community’s awareness of sanitation housing. A large majority of the residents are new “dirty” places to be and residents take no ownership
schemes, organizations or interventions? migrants (this slum is sort of a transit base - it is for the upkeep of these facilities.
low cost even for Mumbai - and people may move
Everyone identifies with development efforts out as they become “settled” in Mumbai). It was Have no access to facility - Yamuna Basti, Delhi:
- Ramapir No Tekdo, Ahmedabad: is a large slum noted that the community sanitation facility here This illegal slum on the banks of the Yamuna river
which was initially a colony of destitute ragpickers. does not evoke any sense of responsibility from the in Delhi, doesn’t have any community sanitation
It was transformed when a Gandhian based residents. facility (free or paid). Most people defecate in the
community center, Manav Sadhna shifted their open on the banks of the river.
location there and started developmental activities C Mixed community - Happy Colony Slum, Pune:
to improve living conditions. The community’s This slum comprises of at least two distinct groups:
sense of confidence seems evident when you speak “old residents” and “new residents”. There is
to the residents there- they proudly show their re- limited mingling between these groups (even
built homes, individual toilets and the school that though their housing is adjacent). There are two
runs in the heart of the slum. community toilets - 1 each on the periphery of the
UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India | Quicksand | August 2010