The report Asia Water Watch 2015 projected that India will likely achieve its MDG sanitation target in both urban and rural areas if they continue expanding access at their 1990–2002 rates. By 2015, the percentage of people in urban areas served by improved sanitation1 is expected to
reach 80%, up from 43% in 1990. In rural areas, the projection is 48%, an incredible improvement over the coverage rate of just 1% in 1990.2 In real numbers, that means more Indians will have improved their sanitation situation from 1990 to 2015 than the total number of people currently residing in the United States—quite an achievement.
reach 80%, up from 43% in 1990. In rural areas, the projection is 48%, an incredible improvement over the coverage rate of just 1% in 1990.2 In real numbers, that means more Indians will have improved their sanitation situation from 1990 to 2015 than the total number of people currently residing in the United States—quite an achievement.
However, while India may be “on track” in achieving the MDG sanitation target, it is importantnot to be complacent. MDG goals simply represent achievable levels if countries commit the resources and power to accomplish them. They do not necessarily represent acceptable levels of service.
This is especially true for India’s sanitation situation. Despite recent progress, access toimproved sanitation remains far lower in India compared to many other countries with similar, or even lower, per capita gross domestic product. Bangladesh, Mauritania, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Viet Nam—all with a lower gross domestic product per capita than India3—are just a few of the countries that achieved higher access to improved sanitation in 2006.4 An estimated 55% of all Indians, or close to 600 million people, still do not have access to any kind of toilet.5 Among those who make up this shocking total, Indians who live in urban slums and rural environments are affected the most.
In rural areas, the scale of the problem is particularly daunting, as 74% of the rural population still defecates in the open.6 In these environments, cash income is very low and the idea of building a facility for defecation in or near the house may not seem natural. And where facilities exist, they are often inadequate. The sanitation landscape in India is still littered with 13 million unsanitary bucket latrines, which require scavengers to conduct house-to-house excreta collection. Over 700,000 Indians still make their living this way.7 The situation in urban areas is not as critical in terms of scale, but the sanitation problems in crowded environments are typically more serious and immediate. In these areas, the main challenge is to ensure safe environmental sanitation. Even in areas where households have toilets, the contents of bucket-latrines and pits, even of sewers, are often emptied without regard for environmental and health considerations.
Sewerage systems, if they are even available, commonly suffer from poor maintenance, which leads to overflows of raw sewage. Today, with more than 20 Indian cities with populations of more than 1 million people, including Indian megacities, such as Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi, antiquated sewerage systems simply cannot handle the increased load. In New Delhi alone, existing sewers originally built to service a population of only 3 million cannot manage the wastewater produced daily by the city’s present inhabitants, now close to a massive 14 million.8
( Source - http://www.adb.org)
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