Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1 this year launched the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT 2) and these schemes aim to make all cities garbage free and water secure. The SBM-U has the objective to make all urban local bodies open defecation free.
Under AMRUT 2.0 the government plans to achieve 100% coverage of water supply to households in around 4700 urban local bodies. Around 2.68 crore tap connections will be provided in these towns.
The Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 will focus on source segregation of solid waste, utilising the principles of 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Scientific processing of all types of municipal solid waste and remediation of legacy dumpsites will also be taken up for effective solid waste management under this phase of the scheme.
However, challenges towards achieving sustainable sanitation goals are manifold though the government is focused on providing safe sanitation facilities for all in both urban and rural areas. As the government’s focus shifts to toilet use, maintenance of public toilets, operational sewage systems and garbage free urban areas authorities should plan to overcome the challenges on water, sanitation and hygiene.
The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS5, 2019-20) data showed that, among 18 states and Union Territories for which the reports were available, the rural households in only five states had 100% toilet access. These states were- Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. The states of Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra had less than 80% toilet access in rural areas, the NFHS-5 data showed.
PM Modi on October 2, 2019 announced that 699 districts and 599,963 villages had become free from open defecation under the SBM. But a survey released in November 2019 by NSO titled, ‘Drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and housing conditions in India’ found that 28.7% of all village households had no access to a toilet. Another 3.5% of households had access to a toilet, but didn’t use it. The NSO also showed that in only Gujarat 75.8%, in Maharashtra 78% and in Rajasthan 65.8% of rural households had access to any type of toilet.
It could be a huge task for the government to sustain the progress made on toilet access and to ensure the usage of toilets. Scarcity of water and lack of water supply has emerged as a major reason for people in many parts not using the toilets. Lack of access to water supply and drainage facilities is also another serious problem, mostly in urban areas. Keep motivating people for toilet usage and monitoring the progress in ODF villages are another area which needs focus.
The Union Cabinet recently decided to continue nationwide cleanliness drive under SBM till 2025-26 with a focus on sustainable sanitation. Though the government’s programmes are a step forward in right direction the authorities should design the implementation plan to overcome the challenges on the path to sustainable sanitation
Mission Paani, an initiative by News 18 and Harpic India, also aims to create awareness about water conservation, sanitation and hygiene. The Mission Paani campaign works towards amplifying the communication around Central and State government programmes so that maximum number of people can get the benefit.
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