1. Swatantra Nagar
Description: Swatantra Nagar slum consists of about 600 households. Most of the houses
here are Pucca or are in the process of being made pucca under the slum development
program. The land was allotted for 100 families in 1976 along with 6 acres of stone quarry
for these families to earn their livelihood. The population of the place is equal halves
hindu as well as christian and the people living here are 3-4 generation migrants from
Tamil Nadu, AP and Karnataka. Most men work as stone quarry workers and now a days
have to travel up to 40-50 kms per day to find work. The women work in the nearby
neighbourhoods. The rent in the slum, is Rs. 500 for a small pucca house with no water
connection or toilet.
Amongst the 20 bores that were dug a few years ago only one of the bores works, as the
land here is mostly stone. The water from this one tank is used by everyone in the slums
and for all purposes, like drinking, bathing and washing. Because of the scarcity of water,
each household is entitled to only 4 pots of water per day.
A government school in the slum was constructed in 2000 by the people of the slum, with
help from the councilor. Construction material like stone, brick, cement was brought by
the slum dwellers and they helped in the construction. The school had classes up till class
5 and 5-6 teachers who taught there were from the slums. It was a complete community
initiative and the people of the slum feel proud while relating this.
Sanitation profile: About half the households have a toilet attached to their houses, while
the other half have no sanitation facilities and thus defecate in the open. The women have
to go before 5 am and/or after 7 pm, as there are no concealed spaces and no space
designated for them. All the people use the same open ground and there is no segregation
for men and women. The local councilor had put in an application and the BBMC along
with WSUP (Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor) had started the construction of a
public toilet, but the work has stalled and the toilet is incomplete.
Takeaways from Swatantra Nagar:
1 . It is very difficult for women, as they have to go far, since there is no segregation and
the men can come and sit anywhere, near them as well.
2 . They usually go with other women or children as they don’t like to go alone.
3 . During the rainy season, the water fills up in the ground so the people from the slums
have to travel farther away to defecate.
4 . The construction of the school with the help of the families makes for a unique case of
community initiatives working for the common good of all.
5 . The lack or the insufficiency of water for households and the judicious use of the 4
bindals may make for an interesting case study with regards sanitation.