Govt agencies collect garbage from just 32% Delhi families

At a time when the Centre is vigorously promoting cleanliness under its Swachh Bharat Mission, a survey report published on Friday revealed that only 32.23 per cent urban households in Delhi have arrangements for collection of garbage by government agencies. 

Apart from this, 56.10 per cent households have made own arrangements, 0.91 per cent have other type of arrangements and 10.76 per cent households have no such facility, according to a report on "Housing Conditions in Delhi" prepared by the Directorate of Economics & Statistics.

The survey conducted during July-December 2012 was part of the 69th round of National Sample Survey (NSS) Reports. The survey also revealed that only 28.21 per cent of the rural households of Delhi have arrangements for garbage collection provided by government agency, 37.34 per cent have their own local arrangements while 34.45 per cent households have no such arrangement.

"Nowadays garbage disposal is posing a big challenge to the local government because of the quantum and variety," says the report. On drainage facility in rural areas of Delhi, the survey stated that more than 45 per cent households were having open drainage type, 47 per cent underground drainage and only 8 per cent have covered drainage facility.

Since open drainage is a likely source for spread of disease this aspect needs attention and improvement. However, drainage arrangements are better in urban Delhi with about 72.98 per cent of the households having underground drainage facility and about 7.41 per cent have covered (pucca) drainage type. According to the report, only 1.04 per cent households in urban areas have no drainage facility.

In terms of bathroom and latrine facility, 61 per cent of households in rural Delhi were having attached bathroom, 32 per cent were having separate bathroom facility and 7 per cent did not have the facility available to them. In urban areas, 85 per cent households were having either attached or separate bathroom facility. The sample was collected between July and December 2012 from 192 rural and 3,536 urban households.