Gwalior Municipal Corporation took the lead in providing sanitation facilities to the most vulnerable of populations, by piloting an initiative for 'open-defecation free' (ODC) slums. Laxmanpura Slum has now achieved ODC status through a community-managed sanitation facility under the Slum Environmental Sanitation Initiative.




Gwalior, a historical Indian city located on the periphery of Madhya Pradesh, is ranked 46th among the most populated cities in the country. The population of Gwalior was 826,919 (Census 2001), with 32.87% of the population living in slums. Gwalior is fairly well connected to other parts of Madhya Pradesh and India via national and state highways.
Open defecation in slums is a major concern, as it directly affects the health, sanitation, and environment of slum inhabitants and of the surrounding communities as well. In the existing 226 poverty pockets in Gwalior, there were around 135 community toilets, of which 80 were unusable due to lack of maintenance. Given the worsening situation, a conscious attempt was made by the Municipal Corporation of Gwalior to set up community toilets. A tripartite partnership was formed between UN-HABITAT, Water-Aid and Gwalior Municipal Corporation, to implement the Slum Environment Sanitation Initiative (SESI) project for achieving open defecation–free slums in the city.

Sixteen slums were identified as worst-affected, on the basis of Poverty Pocket Situational Analysis (PPSA), for the implementation of the SESI programme. Of them, Laxmanpura, a slum with a large percentage of families for whom open defecation is a major concern, was selected as a model for the construction of a community toilet.

Laxmanpura is a 150-year-old slum located in the heart of the city near Padav crossing, falling under Ward no. 30 of the municipal corporation. Prior to the initiative, the status of the slum in the context of sanitation and hygiene was very poor, with most people using the nearby railway tracks for defecation. This, at times, resulted in serious accidents as well. In addition, water contamination and water logging at several locations further contributed to the vulnerable health status of the slum inhabitants.
A number of steps were initiated for the effective implementation of the project. Women self-help groups (SHGs) were formed consisting 15 members. A Sanitation Fund was constituted to provide loans for the construction and maintenance of toilets and water facilities. Capacity building programmes and education campaigns were organised, and exposure visits were arranged, to create and enhance awareness about sanitation and hygiene and its positive impact on health.

Nirmal Samiti, a community-based organisation (CBO), was formed to create awareness amongst community members about the benefits of household toilets. For households that do not have sufficient space for individual toilets, community toilets were proposed. It was decided that the existing defunct community toilet should be demolished and a new community toilet should be constructed at the same place. Nirmal Samiti took the responsibility to supervise the construction of toilets and their maintenance.

The average construction cost of an individual toilet was estimated to be between Rs. 4000 and Rs. 6000. An incentive amount of Rs. 800–1200 per toilet was given by Water Aid, and the remaining amount was borne by the beneficiaries.

Current Status

Houses	229
House holds	327
Population	1635
Below poverty Line (BPL)	More than 30% families were BPL & 179 households have kutcha houses
Household Toilets	110 (44% of the households did not have toilet facilities and the nearby railway tracks were used for defecation)
School	1 (did not have the drinking water and toilet facilities)
Community Toilet	1, which was defunct due to poor maintenance

Income & Expenditure Statement of Community Toilet per Month
Income (in Rupees) Expenditure (in Rupees)

Monthly membership fees @Rs.10 x 139	1,390.00	Sweeper charge	600.00
Occasional users: average of Rs.15 per month	15.00	Maintenance cost @Rs.10/- day	300.00
		Repair & replacement	50.00
		Water & electricity charge	GMC *
Total	1,405.00		950.00

*Presently borne by GMC

To meet the initial O&M expenditure on water and electricity of the community toilet, the Gwalior Municipal Corporation decided to provide free electricity and water for a period of one year. A five-member team of Nirmal Samiti was formed to act as caretaker on a rotational basis.
Laxmanpura slum has been declared as 'Open-Defecation Free Slum' with the construction of 203 individual toilets and one community toilet which has an incinerator and is disabled-friendly as well as child-friendly. A strong sense of ownership has developed among the community members in maintaining the infrastructure. The initiative provided a comfortable and easily accessible sanitation facility to women and children, as well as to the disabled and aged members of the community. The city administration gained confidence in community-managed asset creation.
The expenditure required for the operation & maintenance is minimal, and the project is sustainable. This model is being replicated in 28 other slums of Gwalior city, as there is demand for individual and community toilets. In Laxmanpura, a CBO has been made responsible for the smooth functioning, and proper operation and maintenance (O&M) of the community toilet, along with the responsibility of the collection of user charges. At present, the community toilet has a membership of 139 households, and is partly maintained through user charges of Rs. 10 per head per month. Effective monitoring and user fees will contribute to project sustainability.

For further details, contact:

Dr. Pavan Sharma, IAS
Commissioner
Gwalior Municipal Corporation
Maharajawada, Gwalior