More burden less access: a study of sanitation issues in urban slums of Aligarh district

Abstract

PurposeThe present study intends to highlight the issues and challenges pertinent to sanitation practices among urban slum women in India.Design/methodology/approachThe primary qualitative data has been collected from 100 households sampled by stratified random and purposive sampling through in-depth interviews, and a structured interview schedule and themes were developed accordingly.FindingsThe main theme-based results of the study included the challenges of open defecation in slums, public toilets as an alternative, sanitation-related stress in slum women, compromised state of health of women and children, menstrual hygiene among women in slums and increasing burden on women in terms of water management. The study recommends the creation of toilets in every slum locality with maintenance and awareness to be raised.Originality/valueUrban sanitation has received less research than rural sanitation. The present study focused on the issues of urban sanitation, which are often neglected. To ensure the study's uniqueness, researchers visited and mentioned each open defecation site to understand the situation.Peer reviewThe peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-12-2022-0782