Swachh Bharat Mission can save three lakh lives: WHO

NEW DELHI:  The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said that around three lakh deaths due to diarrheal deaths could be prevented if the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was implemented fully.

The revelation came as part of initial results of the modelling study on the health impact of the SBM conducted by the UN body.

“India’s accelerated coverage of safe sanitation services, and its determination to end open defecation, will have a substantial effect on the burden of diarrheal disease and PEM by reducing mortality and accumulative Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs)—the sum of the years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lost due to disability or ill-health,” the study stated.

According to calculations of the study, if all sanitation services are used, the initiative could result in over 14 million more years of healthy life in the period measured, with the benefits accruing yearly thereafter. 

Speaking at a workshop, Secretary of Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry, Parameshwaran Iyer, said: “I congratulate my team in their efforts to make swachhta everybody’s business,” he said. “The estimations apply to the health impacts from improvements in sanitation coverage only, meaning it is possible that the broader mission has produced additional health gains through changes in personal hygiene and the consumption of safe drinking water,” the report said.