{"id":43635,"date":"2026-07-09T07:43:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T05:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wearewater.org\/?post_type=waw_project&p=43635"},"modified":"2026-07-09T08:45:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T06:45:40","slug":"access-to-domestic-sanitation-to-improve-the-health-and-hygiene-of-vulnerable-families-in-sriperumbudur","status":"publish","type":"waw_project","link":"https:\/\/www.wearewater.org\/en\/projects\/access-to-domestic-sanitation-to-improve-the-health-and-hygiene-of-vulnerable-families-in-sriperumbudur\/","title":{"rendered":"Access to Domestic Sanitation to Improve the Health and Hygiene of Vulnerable Families in Sriperumbudur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the ground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marginalised households lacking household sanitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sriperumbudur Block, in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, comprises 132 villages and has a significant proportion of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population: 28.1% Scheduled Castes (SC) and 0.8% Scheduled Tribes (ST). The area is undergoing rapid transformation from a traditional rural landscape into an industrial and residential corridor within the Chennai metropolitan region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This process \u2014 marked by accelerated urbanisation, industrial expansion, deforestation and agricultural decline \u2014 has altered traditional livelihoods and increased migration, overcrowding and unplanned settlements. Many agricultural workers have shifted to informal and insecure employment without social protection. Nearly one\u2011third of the population belongs to economically and socially vulnerable groups, including Scheduled Caste families and the Irula tribal community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marginalised households continue to face social exclusion, unstable incomes and limited access to formal support systems. Most families depend on landless agricultural labour, construction work, domestic work, temporary employment under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and other informal activities, with very low monthly incomes ranging from INR 4,000 to 8,000. Economic shocks frequently push them into cycles of debt due to reliance on informal lenders, low financial literacy and lack of institutional credit, sometimes resulting in forced labour. Poor housing conditions and lack of sanitation further increase their vulnerability, disproportionately affecting women, children, older persons and people with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The absence of adequate household sanitation facilities creates severe health, social and economic challenges. Open defecation contaminates water and the environment, increasing the incidence of waterborne diseases and other infections such as diarrhoea, parasitic diseases, skin conditions and vector\u2011borne illnesses. Children are particularly vulnerable, suffering recurrent infections that contribute to malnutrition, school absenteeism and poor physical and cognitive development. Lack of sanitation also increases healthcare costs and causes income losses due to illness, deepening poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The absence of household latrines severely affects dignity, privacy and safety, especially for women, adolescent girls, older persons and people with disabilities. Many women and girls must wait until dawn or dusk to seek privacy, exposing themselves to safety risks, harassment and health problems such as urinary infections. Lack of safe sanitation also discourages school attendance among adolescent girls, particularly during menstruation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite government initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Mission, limited awareness, entrenched practices and the absence of functional latrines continue to hinder progress. Inadequate sanitation perpetuates social exclusion, reinforces cycles of poverty and limits long\u2011term socioeconomic development. Individual household sanitation units are therefore a critical intervention to improve public health, gender equity, environmental hygiene and community well\u2011being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n