Living Standards
Sanitation
In India’s cities, 157 million urban residents lack decent toilet facilities. Much of the untreated solid waste is dumped into rivers, lakes and ponds.
The World Bank links one in ten deaths in India to poor sanitation. Children pick up chronic illnesses such as cholera and typhoid from contaminated groundwater. Every year over 300,000 die from diarrheal diseases.
Clean drinking water
An estimated 76 million people in India have no access to a safe water supply, and the situation is only getting more serious. Where there is access to clean drinking water in Kolkata’s slums, residents have to walk considerable distances and join long queues to collect water.
Proper sanitation and easy access to clean drinking water is essential for good health. Calcutta Rescue is working in slum communities to improve living standards by installing toilets and water pumps.