Laundry cycle to clean drinking water: Delhi plans one-stop hygiene hubs for slum clusters

Beyond providing basic amenities, the centre is being designed to tackle the challenge of treating wastewater from unauthorised and low-income settlements.

What if residents of Delhi’s slum clusters could access toilets, showers, washing machines and clean drinking water under one roof, at subsidised rates? The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is piloting a community amenity centre in South Delhi’s RK Puram, modelled on Mumbai’s ‘Suvidha centres’, which combine hygiene, sanitation and laundry facilities.

The centre will have 46 toilet stalls, four shower units, eight washing machines and a water ATM dispensing RO-filtered drinking water. (REUTERS/Representative)

The first centre is coming up at Ekta Camp near RK Puram and is expected to be completed in the next three months.

₹3 per toilet use, ₹70 per laundry cycle

Spread across around 160 square metres, the facility is estimated to cost ₹2.5 crore, officials said. The centre will have 46 toilet stalls, four shower units, eight washing machines and a water ATM dispensing RO-filtered drinking water. The proposed user charges are ₹3 per toilet use, ₹70 for a full laundry cycle and ₹1 per litre of filtered water.

A senior MCD official said the civic body was advancing the initiative in collaboration with the Central government. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is constructing the RK Puram facility under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, the official added.

Beyond providing basic amenities, the centre is being designed to tackle the challenge of treating wastewater from unauthorised and low-income settlements, where the absence of sewer connections and multiple discharge outlets can make waste management difficult.

According to officials, the facility will have an on-site sewage treatment plant (STP) to treat wastewater for reuse. It will also incorporate rainwater harvesting and solar energy systems. “If this model is successful, it will help reduce the flow of untreated wastewater from JJ clusters into drains,” an official said.

Delhi plan modlled on Mumbai's ‘Suvidha Centres’

Mumbai’s Suvidha centres are community hygiene and sanitation hubs developed through public-private partnerships involving Hindustan Unilever Limited, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, HSBC India and the JSW Foundation. Officials said 24 such units are operational in Mumbai.

Delhi’s pilot will test whether a similar model can provide affordable access to essential hygiene services in neighbourhoods where households may lack adequate private facilities or reliable access to sanitation infrastructure.

To ensure high standards of hygiene, the premises will be monitored every four hours. Previously, such facilities in Delhi were developed by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) in or near slum clusters; however, these often fell into disrepair or became unhygienic, rendering them unusable—and they frequently lacked the full range of amenities. DUSIB's community toilet complexes contain only washrooms and bathing facilities.

A network of public and community toilets already exists across Delhi. There were 837 public toilets in Delhi, 613 of which were under the jurisdiction of the MCD. Additionally, the MCD maintains 128 out of 360 community toilet complexes.

In September 2026, the Delhi government announced a plan to construct 2,000 modern public toilets in the capital. According to an MCD review report dated October 21, 2026, 173 new sites for community toilets have been identified, and standard designs and cost estimates for their construction have been prepared. Meanwhile, 51 toilet blocks are currently operational under the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model, with another 10 under construction. Furthermore, tenders have been received for the maintenance of 180 toilets, and the process is underway for an additional 350.