Estimated That by 2030, 1 in 4 people in the world will be living in informal settlements, which further demonstrates the need to increase infrastructure proportionately.
Public-private partnerships allow purpose-driven organizations to partner with the government in the development of public sector projects. Such partnerships ensure increased efficiency in project delivery and management, ultimately leveraging the best of both worlds to create a massive community impact.
India’s largest convenience center built in Dharavi
Hindustan Unilever, HSBC India and BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) have collaborated to give the city its 7th and largest facility this time in Dharavi. This Urban Water, Sanitation and Sanitation Community Center is an initiative to complement the government’s efforts to provide safe sanitation and quality of life to all citizens. The new facility ensures clean washroom facilities, affordable drinking water and state-of-the-art laundry services for the wider Dharavi community. This is the latest feature under Suvidha, a holistic model that aims to be economical, sustainable and scalable.
The new Facilitation Center offers a range of facilities at affordable rates including the following:
Clean toilets and hand washing facilities
pure drinking water
washing machine and laundry services shower
The Dharavi Facilitation Center shall ensure that the community in the catchment areas of the facility, especially women, have access to a safe and dignified facility. The center will be well lit and equipped with a panic button connected to the main alarm.
durable at the core
The center is powered by solar power and will also focus on water conservation. The center has been constructed to treat and reuse gray water for community toilets. Additionally, rainwater harvesting techniques and reuse of treated wastewater will save an estimated 6.5 million liters of water every year.
The model seeks to encourage sustainable behavior change among users. To fulfill this objective, the community will be engaged in understanding the importance of eating nutritious food, washing hands regularly, sanitizing hygiene products etc.
scale driving effect
Facilitation centers have been able to drive a significant social impact. The centers will provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to around 2,00,000 women, children and men, including people with disabilities, in Mumbai every year. The program is on track to save 35 million liters of water annually. The latest Dharavi center will significantly enhance the impact with its 111 toilets, catering to over 50,000 users alone and saving 6.5 million liters of fresh water every year.
Created as the result of a public-private partnership between Hindustan Unilever, HSBC and MCGM, the centers aim to help communities lead better lives. They promote solidarity and pride as well as a collective sense of responsibility as community members in various capacities are involved in running the centers themselves.
The Suvidha model seeks to empower local people to live in different parts of the city to overcome the woes caused by rapid urbanization – a decisive step in the right direction.
Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of Hindustan Unilever by the Spotlight team of Times Internet.
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