By Ajay Kumar, Intern, IFMR Finance Foundation
The data collection exercise that we had covered in an earlier post as part of the slum engagement process was the first in a series of steps that we would embark on in envisioning the future of Ranganatha Nagara 2 Slum in Srirangapatna.
The survey questions which spanned capturing details like demographics, occupation, income, infrastructure quality and access to basic services were meant to help us understand the community better and equip us in having more informed conversations with the residents about their future needs.
The uniqueness of the survey was that the data was collected using an open source tool called Open Data Kit (ODK). We designed an excel sheet using ODK’s XLSForm and uploaded the form into our Android devices. Our volunteers then went on the field with the devices and recorded the answers from each household. The collected data was stored on our local server which we then downloaded as a single excel file for analysis. A lot of time was saved in the process because we did not have to manually fill the answers in excel; also it helped eliminate the need for paper.
In a span of two days we undertook a total of 75 household surveys, which covered almost the entire slum. Below we present a summary infograph of the survey results:
Based on the analysis of the survey data we identified the areas of strength and opportunity for the slum:
Areas of Strength:
- Ranganatha Nagara 2 seems to be strong in electricity coverage, healthcare availability, and school enrolment of kids aged between 5-18.
- 83% of the households are satisfied with water supply services and 85% consider the water they consume to be safe.
Areas of Opportunity:
- Sanitation is clearly an area of opportunity as only 7% of the houses have toilets while the rest defecate in the open.
- Housing seems to be an issue since 56% of households have reported a leakage through the roof.
- Currently the slum has an open drainage network and 83% of households reported being not satisfied with it.
- There is also an opportunity to increase the availability/usage of designated garbage cans as 81% reported not using or not having access to them.
In subsequent posts we will lay out an introduction to “Design Thinking” philosophy that will drive our approach to the slum engagement process.