Parameswaran Iyer, Union Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary, has said that except four districts in the State — Vijayapura, Bidar, Raichur, and Belagavi — all others have been declared open defecation-free (ODF).
He told presspersons here on Thursday that by October-end the four districts would also be declared ODF as work on achieving the target was under way.
He said such ambitious schemes cannot be achieved without the cooperation of people. He said if people realised the importance of toilets, then they would stop using open areas for defecation.
“Several surveys have showed us that open defecation is one of the reasons for spreading of contagious diseases in the countries that are not open defecation-free. Since India is one such country, it is essential to transform the country into open defecation-free by ensuring toilets to every citizen. People should take it seriously and must use toilets,” Mr. Iyer said.
With regard to drinking water, he claimed that no district in the State faced drinking water problem till now. However, Vijayapura district was facing drinking water problem owing to deficient rainfall.
Mr. Iyer said the government had directed the CEOs of ZPs to use MGNREGA funds for providing drinking water. He said that some 52 villages in the district were facing drinking water problem and water was being supplied there through tankers. Till next summer, 105 villages in the district would be facing drinking water problem, he said, added that this was owing to destruction of drinking water sources.
L.K. Atheeq, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, said the State had no dearth of funds for drinking water projects. Claiming that the State had reserved ₹2,200 crore for the purpose, he said action plans were being prepared to address drinking water problems.
He said the government had directed the district administration to protect water sources such as tanks and borewells to ensure supply water to rural areas.
He said that owing technical glitches, some six schemes formulated to provide permanent drinking water facility to various villages had failed to yield result in Vijayapura district.
On reports of people still defecating in the open in places that have been declared ODF, he said the government could get toilets constructed, but even after that, if people still preferred to relieve themselves in the open, then officials cannot forcibly make them to use toilets.
ZP CEO Vikas Suralkar was present.