Delhi to introduce Mumbai-style Suvidha centres for low-income settlements

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is piloting a community amenity centre in south Delhi’s RK Puram that will combine toilets, showers, laundry facilities and filtered drinking water under one roof for residents of low-income settlements.

The facility is being developed at Ekta Camp as part of an initiative modelled on Mumbai’s Suvidha centres, which provide hygiene and sanitation services through community facilities.

Spread across approximately 160 square metres, the proposed centre will have 46 toilet stalls, four shower units, eight washing machines and a water ATM dispensing reverse-osmosis-filtered drinking water.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 2.5 crore, and construction is expected to be completed within three months.

Hindustan Times reported that Hindustan Unilever Limited is developing the RK Puram facility through its corporate social responsibility programme in collaboration with the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs.

The proposed user charges are Rs 3 per toilet use, Rs 70 for a full laundry cycle and Rs 1 per litre of filtered drinking water.

The centre is also being designed to address wastewater disposal in unauthorised and low-income settlements, where a lack of sewer connections and multiple discharge points can make the management of household wastewater difficult.

The facility will include an on-site sewage treatment plant, rainwater harvesting and solar energy systems. Treated wastewater is intended for reuse, while the overall model is designed to reduce untreated discharge into drains.

“If this model is successful, it will help reduce the flow of untreated wastewater from JJ clusters into drains,” an official said.

The pilot will test whether combined hygiene facilities can provide affordable essential services in neighbourhoods where residents may lack adequate sanitation facilities at home.

Mumbai has 24 operational Suvidha centres, according to officials cited in the report. Delhi’s pilot will help determine whether the model can be adopted more widely across the capital.

The initiative’s success will depend on reliable maintenance, adequate hygiene standards and continued access to the facilities at the proposed rates.