But, walk into the slums of Moti Dongor and Azad Nagar, and you find a clear mismatch between public sanitation and the growing requirements of the slum dwellers.
Take the case of Azad Nagar slum – the home for over 500 inhabitants. Here, one will come across people, especially men, heading to the nearby bushes to answer nature’s call. The reason is simple: This slum colony plays host to a lone 12-seater toilet block which is unable to cater to the sanitation needs of the inhabitants. A local resident said a single 12-seater toilet block cannot meet the requirements of over 500 people by any standard.
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi is laying stress on Swachh Bharat and construction of more toilets instead of temples, our government and the local authorities should take care of our sanitation needs,” remarked a woman.
Former Margao Municipal Council chairperson, Savio Coutinho, said that though there’s a dire need for an additional toilet block at Azad Nagar, the proposal has hit a block for want of land.
The situation at Margao’s biggest slum Moti Dongor is no different. In an area, inhabited by over 3,000 people, a mere 3-4 toilet blocks have proved grossly inadequate to cater to the needs of the slum dwellers.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, however, pointed out that sanitation facilities may be inadequate, but things have changed in the last few years. “Recently, I have inaugurated a new toilet block at Fakir Bandh. And, I now plan to open a public toilet at Kharalem, subject to land availability, where locals have complained of open defecation by the migrants,” Kamat said.
