Context: Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin was launched by the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to promote sanitation and waste management in rural India.
However, despite the considerable success of this scheme in promoting open defecation free status in rural India, scholars have pointed out various concerns with this scheme which if worked upon will further boost sanitation and healthcare outcomes in India.
Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin
- Launched on 2nd October,2014 as a restructured Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.
- Target to achieve ODF status of 100% villages by 2019 and rightly achieved so.
- Phase-2 launched in 2020 to focus on sustaining the changes and the solid and liquid waste management till 2024-25 i.e. moving from ODF to ODF Plus.
History of steps taken to promote sanitation in India
- Rural Sanitation Program (1986) which was a highly subsidised scheme to promote sanitation.
- Total Sanitation Scheme (1999): Focused on demand driven approach to sanitation.
- Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan (2014): Focused on addressing the concerns of sanitation in a mission mode.
Achievements of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:
- India declared open defecation free on 2nd October 2019.
- More than 10 crore toilets were constructed under the rural phase.
- Sanitation coverage improved from 39% in 2014 to 100% in 2019 in India (National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey).
- Generated awareness regarding safe sanitation practices.
- Contributing to the reduction of multi-dimensional poverty in India (NITI Aayog), 13.5 crore people came out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
Challenges with the sanitation campaign in India :
National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS 2019-20) highlights success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in ensuring access to sanitation in rural India.
- Lack of focus on behavioural change in the SBM in terms of the usage of the constructed toilets.
- Only 85% of the rural population used safe, functional and hygienic toilets (NARSS 20190-20).
- Surveys reveal that it is still common to find individuals who refrain from using toilets. At least one member in 38% of the households in Bihar, 50% in Gujarat and 14% in Telangana did not use constructed toilet according to a 2018 Survey.
Reasons for not using the toilets:
- Large household size and overcrowding prevents multiple users from using the toilets. According to a survey, only 3-4% households have more than one toilet.
- Social norms and social stigma associated with using the toilet at home. Eg. toilet- ek prem katha movie.
- Poor quality of toilets built: According to a survey, 17% of households in Gujarat reported that sub-structure had collapsed while 50% households reported that the pits were full.
- Detached bathroom and lack of access to water facility.
- Unhygienic facility, not having any superstructure, facility malfunctioning and personal reasons (NSO Survey).
- Lack of synergy between different schemes associated with sanitation promotion. Ex:- no relation has been observed between the per capita central expenses made on the Jal Jeevan mission for providing tap water to each household and the percentage of villages declared ODF plus across states.
- Swachh Bharat Mission - Phase 2 has no criteria for mandating multiple toilets for households. Also, there is no provision for building an attached bathroom under the scheme.
Way Forward
- Dual focused approach: There needs to be a focus on both construction of toilets and their continuing usage by the communities.
- Collective behavioural change needs to be focused upon as behavioural change in sanitation cannot happen independently. So, social networks and living standards needs to be improved upon.
- Similarly, a synergy has to be developed between the various schemes related to sanitation for a coordinated output.
- An impact or performance audit to the program can be done to fill the loopholes as highlighted in the phase 2 of swachh bharat abhiyan.
- Mandating construction of multiple toilets with households with large population and joint families.
- Ensuring running water connection under the Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure continued usage of toilets built under SBM.
Going forward, efficient and coordinated implementation of sanitation programs in India can help in achieving the Sustainable development goal-6 i.e. clean water and sanitation, thereby fulfilling the promise of Viksit Bharat Sankalp.