SPARC Toilets- CASE STUDY

SPARC Toilets- CASE STUDY Bottom Up

what is SPARC and what do they do

an Indian NGO that works with communities to build new toilet blocks, connected to city sewers and water supplies

what problem is SPARC toilets trying to solve

• Mumbai gov built toilets for slum communities, however they are very bad quality and cost an individual price for each use, so many slum-dwellers cannot afford this and therefore cannot use toilets

• these toilets are dangerous, no lights; bad to use at night

• have no running water and gov employees fail to clean them

what is the SPARC toilets project

• local community helps build toilet blocks

• families from the communities can then purchase monthly permits too use it; very cheap and they can use the toilets as much as they want during that month

• the toilets have lights so are safer to use at night

• separate toilets for children

how many rupees does the monthly permit cost

25 rupees

how many toilet blocks with how many toilets in them has SPARC provided in the past 5 years

• 800 community toilet blocks, with each having 8 toilets

aims of SPARC toilets

• to help improve sanitation in slums like Dharavi

• to provide cheap toilets people can afford

• to encourage cleanliness and improve quality of life in the slums

• to improve safety in Dharavi

how is SPARC toilets sustainable

• communities help build the blocks, giving them skills for the future

• provide sanitation with no pollution

• connected to sewage drainage, meaning it isn’t dumped, becoming polluting for the local water and rivers

positive social impacts of SPARC toilets

• provides people with better hygiene and sanitation, leading to less deaths, sickness and higher standards of living

• people helped build the toilets, giving them skills

• women feel safer with the lights at night

positive economic impacts of SPARC toilets

• cheaper prices for toilet passes means more people can afford them and use them

• cheaper prices, meaning slum families have more income to spend on food, other hygiene etc, increasing their quality of life

negative economic impact of SPARC toilets

not everyone can afford this still but may still pay it, decreasing quality of life

positive environmental impacts of SPARC toilets

• reduces pollution for local rivers due to bad waste disposal and pollution

• more people can use toilets and so more well-disposed waste

• little emissions produced from building the toilets as local communities build them themselves with intermediate tech

successes of SPARC toilets

• dealt with the sanitation problems facing slums like Dharavi

• very cost effective; cheap to run but has large impact

• uses intermediate tech and give communities skills

• lower prices so more can use them

• blocks built in 20 communities across Mumbai, meaning its effects felt across a greater population

• better standards and quality than gov built block

limitations of SPARC toilets

• only 800 built but 60% of Mumbai’s pop live in slums

• still costs some money which some will find expensive if they have none

• problems working with local gov to secure water connections slowed down construction

• NGOs have to bid for funding from local gov’s to build the blocks