New Delhi: In Delhi’s Mayur Vihar flood relief camp, several women — including those pregnant — wake up long before sunrise. It’s not out of choice but compulsion. With only a few toilets available, they walk a long and uneven path to reach a secluded spot to relieve themselves. A 26-year-old woman, Rama who is eight months pregnant with her first child told PTI, “This is my first pregnancy and even though it is a difficult phase for any woman, the lack of toilets in the camp has made it even harder. Almost all of us wake up early to relieve ourselves in the dark so that no one can see us.”
“We have to walk a considerable distance and the path is uneven. I walk with great caution every morning, worried about what will happen if I stumble. And after doing it once, I hold myself until the next morning,” she said. Madhu (17) sharing similar concerns said, “I tell my mother I feel ashamed going out, but she says there is nothing else we can do. I wish there were proper bathrooms so we could live with dignity. And it is not a matter of a day or two, we have to be here for weeks to come.”
Some morning walkers even object to open defecation, Reshampati (35) said. “They ask us not to defecate as if we have any choice. Does anyone like doing this in the open, especially women?,” she asked. “After sunrise, we cannot go out as there is no privacy. We should have been given at least adequate temporary toilets,” she said.
Preeti (25) said that bathing is no easier. “We take bath inside our camps by putting up some makeshift covers to block the view from the gaze of people passing by. It is humiliating, but there is no other option,” she said.
“It is extremely hard to change clothes when I am eight months pregnant. While others can quickly bathe and put on their clothes, I really struggle with it. I ask help from women around but they are also suffering and busy,” Rama said.