Sakalchand Mukhini Chaali - Ahmedabad

Community Composition: Largely immigrants from Rajasthan who have been settled here for the last 50 years. Predominantly Hindu (but needs to be confirmed).

General Description: This location is a slum with about 500+ households, and with a mix of private sanitation, pay for use facilities (managed by a grassroots organization) and a corporation toilet.

Sanitation Situation: The pay and use toilet in Sakalchand Mukhini Chali is run by an NGO. There are separate sides for men and women, with about 10 stalls on each side. The caretaker has to deposit 250 rupees per day to the NGO - excess if any can be pocketed by him; deficit on the other hand is deducted from his salary. This toilet has water available, and was relatively well-kept. The corporation toilet is free for use, but was in a state of disarray, with feces littered all over the ground inside. A resident living near to this toilet showed records of complaints he had registered against the poor state of the corporation toilet.

Top Reasons to Choose This Location/Unique Aspects: - Some of the local residents were very vocal about the poor condition of the corporation toilet, and were frustrated by the lack of effort on the part of the government to do anything about it. - The contrast in the condition of the pay for use toilet and the corporation toilet is interesting. - SAATH, a local NGO, has an office right outside the slum and can be an important resource for continued support and monitoring - When we spoke to a few women they said that since there were no separate booths for kids/ they had to use those meant for adults but during morning rush hour they are bullied by women and men users who are in a hurry and forced to defecate out on the roads or directly outside the toilet booths/ toilet compound- Although the slum is located in Ahmedabad city, it looks very agrarian in setup. We saw a lot of households with cattle, goats, etc. Fly-infested cow dung was common on the pavements. This can be an interesting addition to the sanitation ecosystem of this area.- One of the only locations we found where the residents had lodged complaints of poor sanitation and maintenance in the local courts.