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Shining India! 47% slums see no rise in toilets over 5 years

"47 per cent of slums reported that there had been no change in the condition of latrine facilities during the last five years," the National Sample Survey report on slums in the country said.

However, the survey, conducted during July-December 2012, said that improvement in latrine facilities was reported by 32 per cent of slums. In 17 per cent of slums, latrine facilities were reported as non-existent now as well as 5 years earlier. Similarly it found that there is no change in condition of drainage facilities during the last 5 years in 47 per cent of slums.

However, improvement was reported by 33 per cent of all slums, the proportion being 40 per cent for notified slums and 29 per cent for non-notified slums. In an estimated 17 per cent of all urban slums, drainage facilities did not exist either 5 years earlier, or on the date of survey. However, very few slums in any state reported deterioration in drainage facilities.

About 50 per cent of slums in urban areas reported that no change in sewerage facilities had taken place during the last 5 years. In another 26 per cent of slums, sewerage facilities did not exist now or 5 years ago.

However improvement was reported by 22 per cent of all slums. These included 36 per cent of slums in the million-plus cities and 15 per cent in other urban areas.

As much as 34 per cent of slums reported that garbage disposal facilities had improved over the past 5 years. In about 50 per cent of slums, no change in the facilities had occurred during the last 5 years.

About 14 per cent of all slums in urban India including 20 per cent of non-notified slums reported that they had no garbage disposal facilities, either at present or 5 years ago. Improvement in education facility at primary level during the last 5 years was reported by 30 per cent of all slums, and no change by 57 per cent, with 11 per cent reporting that the facility did not exist now or 5 years ago.

Such improvement in education facility was somewhat less common in the million-plus cities than in the other urban areas. The report is based on information collected during July-December 2012 from 881 slums in 3,832 urban blocks spread over the entire urban area of the country.

An estimated 8.8 million households lived in these slums, about 5.6 million in notified and 3.2 million in non-notified slums. About 20 per cent of all slums in urban India reported improvement in medical facilities during the last 5 years, about 64 per cent reported no change, and only 1 per cent reported deterioration, with about 15 per cent reporting that such facilities did not exist on the date of survey and had not existed 5 years earlier.

Over the 5 years preceding the date of survey, water supply had improved in 43 per cent of all slums. In 48 per cent of slums, the condition of water supply had remained unchanged.
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