Vulnerability of slum households in access to sanitation facilities in India: a case study of Lucknow City

Although India has made remarkable progress in access to sanitation with five years of implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the condition of sanitation facilities in slum areas has not improved much. Slum residents are deprived of access to basic sanitation facilities and have to go for open defecation (OD). This article attempts to analyze the government’s progress toward its most awaited goal of OD-free nation, through household surveys in slum and non-slum areas of Lucknow city in India. The article measures the extent of inequality in access to sanitation facilities between slum and non-slum households. The study results highlight the vulnerability of slum dwellers and find that there is still the practice of open defecation in the non-notified slums. There is a need to shift from a traditional service delivery approach to community approaches to sanitation. The study recommends that the government should give more attention to providing basic amenities, especially in highly deprived slums, i.e., Jawahar Nagar, Amausi, and Luvkush Nagar. The government should also employ an agency to monitor and maintain the hygienic condition of public latrines.