Use, maintain toilets in village for Swachh Bharat Mission

Ensuring utilisation and maintenance of over 122 lakh toilets built in villages across the country will be the key element to make the Swachh Bharat Mission a success, the Economic Survey 2015-16 presented by the government said in Parliament on Friday.

“The Swachh Bharat Mission will begin to show intended results if the constructed toilets are maintained after construction and also utilised by the beneficiaries,” noted the Economic Survey.

The survey pointed out that sanitation coverage in rural areas expanded after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014.

“More than 122 lakh toilets have already been constructed in rural areas so far under the mission. The sanitation coverage, which stood at 40.60% as per the National Sample Survey Organization, data, has risen to around 48.8% as on December 31, 2015,” the Economic Survey pointed out.

According to Census 2011, Bihar (77%), Chhattisgarh (75%), Jharkhand (78%) and Odisha (78%) are the states with more than 75% households having no latrine facilities at all.

The Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) is aimed at achieving universal sanitation coverage and eliminating open defecation in rural India by October 2, 2019. It is also aimed at promoting better hygiene among the population and improving cleanliness by initiating Solid and Liquid Waste Management projects in villages, towns and cities.

The disparity across states in terms of access to household amenities like tap water and latrine facilities is sharp. While access and coverage of latrine facilities is as high as 95% in Kerala, 91% in Mizoram, and 89% in Manipur; less than 25% of households have access to latrine facilities within the household premises in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha, noted the Economic Survey.

It pointed out that only 46.6% of households in India have access to drinking water within their premises. A far lower, 43.5% of households have access to tap water. Similarly, less than 50% households have latrine facilities within the household premises, it added.