Stinking reality: 47% Maharashtra homes without toilets

Mumbai, Mar 19: A staggering 46.9 per cent households in Maharashtra do not have toilet facility though 69 per cent homes boast of telephone/mobile phones, while 56.8 per cent have television sets in the State.

These facts were revealed in the Economic Survey for 2012-13, which was tabled in the State legislature today. Sanitation facilities are lacking in 62 per cent of rural households and 28.7 per cent urban homes, it said. About 34 per cent household members resorted to open defecation, while 12.9 per cent reported use of public toilet. The highest proportion of households having toilet facility within premises was found in Sindhudurg district (75.9%) while the lowest proportion was in Beed (25.1%). About 64.3 per cent households reported having bathroom with covered roof and 14.6 per cent homes used open space (ie without any enclosure).

In urban areas 86.0 per cent households had bathroom in their premises but in rural areas this proportion was just 46.2 per cent, the survey said. About 4.6 per cent households in urban areas and 22.9 per cent in rural areas did not have any type of bathroom. The proportion of households using tap water as main source of drinking water in urban areas was 89.1 per cent and in rural areas it was 50.2 per cent. Lowest proportion of households having tap water as main source was reported in Gondia district (17.5%) and Gadchiroli district (19.5 per cent). Electricity as the main source of lighting was reported by 83.9 per cent households. Kerosene was the second main source of lighting, but proportion of households reporting use of kerosene was found to be only 14.5 per cent. According to the survey, 96.2 per cent urban homes and 73.8 per cent rural households reported use of electricity as source of lighting, the survey said.

PTI