NGO builds toilets in 64% of slum households in Kolhapur

The NGO started the OHOT initiative in 2013 after finding in a survey that access to safe sanitation was missing in more than 2,36,200 households in the urban slums of Maharashtra. The OHOT initiative runs on a data-driven, community-centric and cost-sharing model.

“It is a very inclusive approach in which we work closely with the municipal corporations, right from validating data to toilet delivery,” said Joshi. The NGO has built over 18,000 toilets in the slums of Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kolhapur, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Panvel and Sangli over the last five years.

NGO suggests ways to reduce pollution levels in the state

Pointing out that Pune has the highest concentration of ‘red’ (most polluting) category of industries, Climate Trends, a Delhi-based initiative on climate and energy issues, on Thursday released a set of recommendations for the Maharashtra government to tackle emission levels and adopt a pro-environment strategy.

It said the efficiency of local train and bus systems can be improved through financial support instead of heavy expenditure on metro, which is leading to a loss of green covers, such as at the Aarey forest in Mumbai.

Since short-term and emergency measures don’t bring immediate relief when PM 2.5 pollution levels cross a threshold to ‘severe or hazardous’ levels, strong emphasis is needed on source-specific strategies to bring pollution within controllable limits, the NGO said in a statement.