CREATIVE VIEWS #Swachh Bharat Mission(Abhiyan)
Swachh Bharat Mission i.e. Clean India Mission, a national level campaign, recently launched by the Government of India is a major step towards the protection of degrading environment. The objectives of the campaign include elimination of open defection, conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging and above all to bring about a behavioral change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices and to ensure public participation in achieving these objectives. Globally, India continues to be the country with highest number of people practising open defection. If Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is implemented properly with all its stakeholders taking their respective responsibilities, there is no wonder that one day India will become an open defection free country. A brief about this programme, objectives, related health concerns and its role in environmental protection has been discussed in this paper.
Keywords – Swachh Bharat Mission, sanitation, open defection, toilets, environmental protection
INTRODUCTION :-
The Government of India adopted a demand driven approach by the name Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in 1999, which was later renamed as the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA). A financial subsidy was provided to households for constructing latrines. To give a boost to the TSC, the government also launched the Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP), an incentive program that sought to recognize the achievements and efforts of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRIs) in encouraging full sanitation coverage in their Gram Panchayats.
Covering all households with IHHLs (Individual Household Latrine), cluster toilets, community toilets, the prime minister has given his approval for restructuring of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan into Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). NBA has been restructured into the Swachh Bharat Mission with two sub-Missions – Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban).
Many people in India recognize open defecation as a national embarrassment, but if one accounts for the loss that it inflicts on the health and future productivity of India’s children, it’s clear that the sanitation crisis is truly an emergency.
The Census 2011 of India shows that 4,041 statutory towns (administrative units that have been defined by ‘statute’ as urban such as municipal corporations, municipalities, cantonment boards, notified town area committees, town panchayats or nagar palikas) having eight million households do not have access to toilets and defecate in the open. Weak sanitation has significant health concerns and untreated sewage from towns is the biggest source of water pollution in India. This indicates both the scale of the challenge ahead of the Indian towns and the huge costs incurred from not addressing them.
The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) emanates from the vision of the Government of India as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary to be celebrated in the year 2019 to ensure hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation. The Prime Minister of India has launched SBM on 2nd Oct. 2014.
OBJECTIVES OF SBM :-
The Swachh Bharat Mission has the following objectives:
1. Elimination of open defecation
The Swachh Bharat Mission has the following objectives:
1. Elimination of open defecation
2. Eradication of Manual Scavenging
3. Modern and Scientific Municipal Solid Waste Management
4. To effect behavioural change regarding healthy sanitation practices
5. Generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health
6. Capacity Augmentation for Urban Local Bodies (ULB’s)
7. To create an enabling environment for private sector participation in Capex (capital expenditure) and Opex (operation and maintenance)
COMPONENTS OF SBM :-
The Swachh Bharat Mission has the following components:
1. Household toilets, including conversion of insanitary latrines into pour-flush latrines
The Swachh Bharat Mission has the following components:
1. Household toilets, including conversion of insanitary latrines into pour-flush latrines
2. Community toilets
3. Public toilets
4. Solid waste management
5. IEC & Public Awareness
6. Capacity building and Administrative & Office Expenses (A & OE)
By Public Toilets, it is implied that these are to be provided for the floating population / general public in places such as markets, train stations, tourist places, near office complexes, or other public areas where there are considerable number of people passing by.
By Community toilets, it is implied that a shared facility provided by and for a group of residents or an entire settlement. Community toilet blocks are used primarily in low-income and/or informal settlements / slums, where space and/or land are constraints in providing a household toilet. These are for a more or less fixed user group.
By Public Toilets, it is implied that these are to be provided for the floating population / general public in places such as markets, train stations, tourist places, near office complexes, or other public areas where there are considerable number of people passing by.
By Community toilets, it is implied that a shared facility provided by and for a group of residents or an entire settlement. Community toilet blocks are used primarily in low-income and/or informal settlements / slums, where space and/or land are constraints in providing a household toilet. These are for a more or less fixed user group.
OPEN DEFECATION:-
Open defecation (OD) is the practice of defecating outside or in public. This may be done as a result of cultural practices or having no access to toilets. Open defecation is practiced all over the world in nature or camping type situations and represents no health and environmental problems when done in sparsely populated settlements and when the "cat method" is used, i.e. covering the feces with some soil, leaves or sand.
However, open defecation becomes a significant health problem and an issue for human dignity when it occurs in more densely populated areas, such as in larger villages or in urban informal settlements in developing countries. Here, the practice is usually associated with poverty and exclusion.
Of the 1 billion people around the world that still practice open defecation today, almost 600 million, or around 60 percent, reside in India alone. Under Swachh Bharat Mission, 111 million toilets will be built by 2019 that is more than 60,000 toilets per day or nearly one toilet every second.
However, simply building toilets and sanitation infrastructure will not stop open defecation in India. Having access to safe and clean toilets is a start, but it does not address long-standing habits or how personal preference affects behaviour with regards to toilet use. We have seen toilets built in India in the past being abandoned, or used as storerooms.
The battle to end open defecation in India needs to be fought on two fronts: one on the ground with toilets and sanitation infrastructure, and second in the hearts and minds of the people by repositioning toilets so that latrine use becomes the norm.
Open defecation (OD) is the practice of defecating outside or in public. This may be done as a result of cultural practices or having no access to toilets. Open defecation is practiced all over the world in nature or camping type situations and represents no health and environmental problems when done in sparsely populated settlements and when the "cat method" is used, i.e. covering the feces with some soil, leaves or sand.
However, open defecation becomes a significant health problem and an issue for human dignity when it occurs in more densely populated areas, such as in larger villages or in urban informal settlements in developing countries. Here, the practice is usually associated with poverty and exclusion.
Of the 1 billion people around the world that still practice open defecation today, almost 600 million, or around 60 percent, reside in India alone. Under Swachh Bharat Mission, 111 million toilets will be built by 2019 that is more than 60,000 toilets per day or nearly one toilet every second.
However, simply building toilets and sanitation infrastructure will not stop open defecation in India. Having access to safe and clean toilets is a start, but it does not address long-standing habits or how personal preference affects behaviour with regards to toilet use. We have seen toilets built in India in the past being abandoned, or used as storerooms.
The battle to end open defecation in India needs to be fought on two fronts: one on the ground with toilets and sanitation infrastructure, and second in the hearts and minds of the people by repositioning toilets so that latrine use becomes the norm.
IMPACTS OF OPEN DEFECATION:-
The health and personal safety impacts due to open defecation are principally the same as those from lack of sanitation.
Health Impacts
Open defecation or lack of sanitation is a major factor in causing various diseases, most notably diarrhea and intestinal worm infections but also typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio, trachoma and others. Those countries where open defecation is most widely practiced have the highest numbers of deaths of children under the age of 5, as well as high levels of malnourishment (leading to stunted growth in children), high levels of poverty and large disparities between the rich and poor. Open defecation is a leading cause of diarrheal death; 2,000 children under the age of 5 die every day, one every 40 seconds, from diarrhea.
Safety and Gender Impacts
Open defecation also impacts on human safety and dignity - in particular women are more vulnerable to gender-based violence and sexual assault when they defecate in the open.
The health and personal safety impacts due to open defecation are principally the same as those from lack of sanitation.
Health Impacts
Open defecation or lack of sanitation is a major factor in causing various diseases, most notably diarrhea and intestinal worm infections but also typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio, trachoma and others. Those countries where open defecation is most widely practiced have the highest numbers of deaths of children under the age of 5, as well as high levels of malnourishment (leading to stunted growth in children), high levels of poverty and large disparities between the rich and poor. Open defecation is a leading cause of diarrheal death; 2,000 children under the age of 5 die every day, one every 40 seconds, from diarrhea.
Safety and Gender Impacts
Open defecation also impacts on human safety and dignity - in particular women are more vulnerable to gender-based violence and sexual assault when they defecate in the open.
ERADICATING OPEN DEFECATION:-
The key drivers to eradicate open defecation may be as follows:
1. Political will focus on behaviour change
The key drivers to eradicate open defecation may be as follows:
1. Political will focus on behaviour change
2. Sanitation solutions that offer a better value than open defecation
3. Stronger public sector local service delivery systems
4. Creation of the right incentive structures
Toilets are still out of reach for more than one-third of the global population, with devastating consequences to the health and development of children. However, the key to bridging the gap lies within communities themselves.
Toilets are still out of reach for more than one-third of the global population, with devastating consequences to the health and development of children. However, the key to bridging the gap lies within communities themselves.
CONCLUSION:-
Even after longstanding efforts to address the challenge of open defecation, the situation in India stubbornly remains unchanged. Part of the reason for this is because many people in rural India actually prefer open defecation to using affordable latrines.
Many people think that the root cause of such widespread open defecation in the country is the fact that India is a developing economy with less per capita monthly income, making it difficult for people to afford a latrine. Surprisingly, open defecation has less to do with a country’s economic strength than with the choices, priorities and habits of its people.
Efforts to reduce open defecation include awareness raising (for example via the UN World Toilet Day at a global level), behaviour change campaigns, increasing political will as well as demand for sanitation. Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) campaigns have placed a particular focus on ending open defecation by "triggering" the communities themselves into action and let us hope that the recently launched SBM will further help to resolve the problem.
Even after longstanding efforts to address the challenge of open defecation, the situation in India stubbornly remains unchanged. Part of the reason for this is because many people in rural India actually prefer open defecation to using affordable latrines.
Many people think that the root cause of such widespread open defecation in the country is the fact that India is a developing economy with less per capita monthly income, making it difficult for people to afford a latrine. Surprisingly, open defecation has less to do with a country’s economic strength than with the choices, priorities and habits of its people.
Efforts to reduce open defecation include awareness raising (for example via the UN World Toilet Day at a global level), behaviour change campaigns, increasing political will as well as demand for sanitation. Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) campaigns have placed a particular focus on ending open defecation by "triggering" the communities themselves into action and let us hope that the recently launched SBM will further help to resolve the problem.
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