Sunder Nagri in Delhi is one of the largest resettlement colonies
with 1000s of displaced urban residents. When the 50 or so initial households
moved to Sunder Nagri, it was desolate and wild. Cut off from government
services and infrastructure, residents were forced to wake up at 3:30 am and
walk 2 to 3 kilometers to collect water for their cooking and
washing needs. Diseases were
rampant because of the lack of proper water and sanitation facilities. Many children died from jaundice, malaria and diarrhea and sickness became
a part of their lives.
It was in 2009 that MHT began to organize community meetings
at Sunder Nagri, through which the residents were educated about their rights
to clean water, sanitation and better quality housing, and how they can access
various government schemes for water and sanitation. Many of the women members
were nervous about travelling alone to distant municipal offices, unsure of how
to navigate complicated transport systems and respond to the questions from government officials. In order to solve it effectively, MHT organized a series of training sessions
and arranged trips to local
government offices, until the women gained the
confidence to lead these visits themselves. Additionally, MHT also helped them obtain
ration and identification cards, making them eligible for government
infrastructure and housing schemes.
Later on, MHT also worked extensively to improve the water
and sanitation conditions at Sunder Nagri. Recognizing an acute need for water
connections, MHT began to offer loans for underground water pump and individual
hand pumps. MHT also tackled the challenge of open defecation through
disbursing loans for individual toilets. As a result, residents are now
healthier, more productive and confident.
It was the availability of water that changed their lives significantly. One of the community members says, “We can now shower and wash our clothes and dishes whenever we want. We finally have free time. We don’t have to lug heavy buckets anymore or wake up at 3:30 am to fetch water."