Praja Report reveals Mumbai’s slum toilets lack water, women face sanitation crisis

As of 2024, only 1 in 4 public toilet seats is available for women. Pic/Kirti Surve Parade

Mumbai's slums are facing a severe shortage of community toilets, reveals the latest Praja Foundation report, which exposes the city's dismal state of sanitation. The report also highlights that nearly 395 million litres of drinking water is wasted daily due to pipeline leakage.

"Mumbai's water supply system suffers from serious disparities between available resources and their distribution. The city receives 4370 million litres per day (MLD) of water, but due to pipeline losses, only 3975 MLD reaches users," said Milind Mhaske, CEO, Praja Foundation. The city requires 4664 MLD daily, resulting in a shortfall of 689 MLD or 15 per cent.

The Praja report, released Tuesday at the Mumbai Press Club, paints an equally grim picture of the city's community toilets. As of 2024, only one in four public toilet seats is available for women. In 2023, one community toilet seat served 86 men and 81 women, far above the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) norm of 35 men and 25 women per seat.

Of the 6800 community toilet blocks in Mumbai in 2023: 69 per cent (4518) lacked water connections and 60 per cent (4010) had no electricity. The data was obtained by Praja Foundation via Right to Information (RTI).

According to SBM norms, one toilet block should cater to 100-400 men and 100-200 women, but in Mumbai, one seat serves 752 men and 1820 women, revealing a staggering gap in infrastructure.

Additionally, response time to civic complaints has worsened. "In 2024, Mumbaikars filed over 1.15 lakh citizen complaints, a 70 per cent increase from 67,773 in 2015," said Shreyas Corgi, manager - research and analysis at Praja Foundation.

What is the Praja Foundation?

Praja Foundation is a non-profit organisation working for over two decades to enable accountable governance in India. It conducts data-driven research on civic issues and shares findings with elected representatives, citizens, the media, and government officials. Praja works closely with representatives to bridge information gaps, improve efficiency, and drive systemic change. Its mission is to simplify lives, empower citizens and governments with facts, and foster participatory, transparent governance.

Complaints increased from 2015 to 2024

380% Rise
Solid Waste Management (SWM)

334% Rise
Air pollution

59% Rise
Drainage

Of the 14,522 water-related complaints in 2024, 44 per cent were about shortages. Moreover, the average time to resolve a complaint rose from 32 days in 2023 to 41 days in 2024, despite BMC norms requiring complaint resolution within six days.

6800
No. of community toilet blocks in Mumbai in 2023

69%
(4518) No. of toilets that lacked water connections

60%
(4010) No. of toilets that had no electricity in the city