Cultural Compulsion vis-à-vis Poor Sanitation in Cities: Open Defecation in Delhi

Abstract

This article examines the practice of open defecation (OD) and access to sanitation facilities under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Open defecation is rampant in areas where sanitation is poor. Data for the study was collected from three slums across all the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi through face-to-face interviews. The data revealed that the factors behind poor sanitation and OD are mostly associated with lack of basic
facilities and inadequate sanitary infrastructure rather than ‘individual defiance’ to use toilets.

Keywords: sanitation; open defecation; cultural compulsion; Delhi; Swachh Bharat Mission

DOI: 10.32444/IJSW.2023.84.4.447-462