Deprived communities perceive sanitation as basic right: study

Issues pertaining to water, sanitation and hygiene are increasingly perceived by communities living in clusters and under-served settlements as their basic rights or entitlements, according to a study conducted in Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata.

The observation formed part of the study undertaken by Institute for Human Development (IHD) and the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) and three community-based organisations from Delhi, Kolkata and Jaipur-Mahila Pragati Manch, Daksh Samooah and Alor Disha.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal who launched the report here today emphasised that lack of access to clean public toilets was an issue she had experienced personally and the women's body was also exploring methods to address the sanitation issue.

"We will review the evaluation report and take the findings and recommendations seriously to work towards strengthening the community access to sanitation," she said.

Preet Rustogi, Principal Investigator of the study, said, "the focus has now changed to identifying priorities, raising their articulate voices where needed, seeking the help of community members or local leaders and actively working to ensure that their rights are met".

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)