OPEN DEFECATION FREE (ODF) RURAL AND URBAN AREAS: ACHIEVEMENT OF SWACHH BHARAT MISSION

Sanitation is recognized as a basic human right. UN General Assemblyin July 2010 had adopted a resolution officially recognising Sanitationaccess to, and use of, excreta and wastewater facilities and services‟asa human right. For most of human history, people defecatedin theopen. But in the last century, a lot has changed with toilets becoming anintegral part of homes in most parts of the world. More than half of allpeopleintheworldwhodefecateintheopenliveinIndia.Accordingto 2011 Indian Census, 53.00 per cent of households do not use anykind of toilet or latrine. This essentially matches the 55.00 per centfound by the National Family Health Survey in 2005. In this paper Iattempt to study the role of government and schemes and people's participation.

Sanitation is recognized as a basic human right. UN General Assemblyin July 2010 had adopted a resolution officially recognising Sanitationaccess to, and use of, excreta and wastewater facilities and services"asa human right. For most of human history, people defecatedin theopen. But in the last century, a lot has changed with toilets becoming anintegral part of homes in most parts of the world. More than half of allpeopleintheworldwhodefecateintheopenliveinIndia.Accordingto 2011 Indian Census, 53.00 per cent of households do not use anykind of toilet or latrine. This essentially matches the 55.00 per centfound by the National Family Health Survey in 2005. In this paper Iattempt to study the role of government and schemes and people's participation.
TheCentre'sFlagshipSanitationScheme Since, 1986, India has spent over $ 3 billion on constructing toilets across the country. Despite such massiveinvestments, India"s sanitation campaign over the years has unfortunately yielded limited results. India continues tohavethelargestnumberofpeoplewhodefecateintheopen.Evenpoorercountriesintheneighborhood,suchas 491 Bangladesh and Nepal, have improved sanitation coverage faster and surpassed India in the last four decades-by allaccounts,atafractionofthecost. 2 The Indian government is now gearing up to spend an additional amount through the Swachh Bharat Mission. While sanitationscheme in India date back to the British Raj, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is the latest and far most ambitiousiteration.

Government'sInitiativesTowardsSanitation
The major initiative towards sanitation was the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) with an aim to accelerate sanitationcoverage to achieve an Open Defecation Free (ODF) and clean India by 2 October, 2019. When the mission waslaunchedon2October,2014bytheHon"blePrimeMinister,theChallengewasquitedaunting.Only38.7percentofruralhouse holdshadtoiletsandcountry-leveldatashowedIndiahavingthelargestnumberofpeopledefecatingin the open. Under such a challenging situation, the PM exhorted people tofulfil Mahatma Gandhi"s vision of aclean India by 2 October, 2019 so as to provide a befitting tribute to Bapu when we celebrate his 150 th BirthAnniversary. 3 Since the launch of the SBM,the government has built 1007.98 lakh toilets in the rural areas. Between 2014 and2019, as many as 699 districts, 2, 58, 657 Gram Panchyats and 5,99,963 villages self-declared themselves as ODF. 4 As far as urban areas are concerned, between 2014 and 2019, 60 lakh households and 5.5 lakh public and communitytoilets were constructed and 79,000 wards (86.00 per cent) with 100.00 per cent door-to-door collection of municipalsolidwastewereensured,while60.00percentofthempracticesourcesegregation. 5 Thisisatremendousachievement,g iventhe factthatonly41.00 percentwere practising sourcesegregation in2014.
While declaring Rural India open defecation free on the occasion of Swachh Bharat Diwas on 2 October, 2019, thePrime Minister congratulated every countrymen, especially those living in villages, sarpanches, and all those whohave workedfor"Swachhata"".

AdoptingTheWesternApproach
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was an unprecedented nationwide initiative aimed to inspire the Public to voluntarilyclean public spaces as a service to the nation. Concurrently, municipalities began to employ more contractuallabourers-mostly scavengers forced into the profession by their casteto remove waste. This approach is anuncriticaladoptionofthe19 th centurywesternmodelofremovingwastefromthepublicgaze.Althoughstoppingthe spread of disease was the primaryintension in the West, sanitation isnowlargely an extension of visualaesthetics,sanitationmeans the absenceoffilthinessallaroundus.

AToilet InTheFront YardOfTheHomeIsConsideredAsUnholy
Open defecation in India is not just about toilet coverage. It is also about deeply inbuilt cultural practices. In a lot ofhomes in India"s heartland, a toilet in the front yard of the homean area earmarked for the holy Tulasiplantisconsidered an unholy idea and so, is detested. Toilets are considered impure and a reason for that can be found inIndia"s millenniaold caste system. The reason for this aversion to toilets comes from the fact thatmanualscavenging was traditionallythejoboftheoppressedcastes.
In Agraharams (exclusive Brahmin quarters), and even in some non-Brahmin households, for example, toilets areconstructed behind the house so that the scavenger is "Unseeable" while walking down an exclusive lane to thetoilet to empty the bucket. Similarly, traditional Indian houses had toilets that were often located at the boundary ofthe compound with an exclusive path for the scavengers. Clearly, Hindu notions of pollution on the one hand, andsecular notions of stigma on the other, influenced the building of toilets. Temples usually did not construct toilets.And whentheyareconstructed,theyarebuiltawayfromtheboundary. 7

HostilityTowardsToiletsRemainsInRuralIndia
A boundary wall was more socially necessary than a latrine at home. A wife"s honourmay be at risk if people cansee her unveiled face, but it is perfectly honourable for passersby in early dawn to see her exposed. Rural women face many problems and they should either go before the sunrise or after the sunset this.t for Safety was a big issue.Going out in 492 the dark is not safe for young women;moreover the pathways are dangerous in the night as there aresnakes and other poisonous creatures. This apart have to Waite for hours if there are people in the vicinity. Even inthe uplifted Indian villages which are well-connected by mobile phones and satellite television, a girl has the right tofood andeducation butnobirthrighttouse acoveredtoilet.

ColonialArchitecture
Itis significantthattoilets arenotviewed as essential parts of buildings and public architecturein India.Forinstance, the Indian Institute of AdvancedStudy in Simla, which was formerely called the Viceregal Lodge, hasthree entrances: one for residents and guests, one for servants, and one exclusively for sweepers and scavengers. Thesweepers pathwaywhich form an invisible and intricate network of corridors, stairwells and gangplanks leading tothemany toiletsinthebuilding-havenowbeenclosedoff.Significantly,incolonial Indianarchitecture,thescavengers/sweepersstaircase did not intersect with the servants staircase. The original planning document of theViceregalLodgehas clearreferences tothis secludedpathway. 8

BehaviouralPatterns
There is a strong relationship between having a separate kitchen and having a toilet. Hygienic Kitchen as a separateplace within the house is as important as having a toilet. The predominant reason for toilet construction in thehouseholdisprivacyandconveniencefollowedbypeerpressure,prestigeinsociety,spousepressure,andpersuasionofpancha yatleaders,politicalleaders,healthand socialworkers.
With Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), the country witnessed a silent revolution in the construction of toilets. A majordifferentiating feature of SBM from all other earlier programs has been its demand-driven nature where theprimary objective is to bring about behaviour change leading to the generation of demand for construction of toiletsaswellas toincreasetheuseoftoilets.
Access to information regarding Governmentschemes andfinancial assistance for toiletconstruction are alsocontributingfactors forconstruction and use of toilet,respectively.Awareness aboutSwachh BharatMissionreduces the chances of open defecation. The health and hygiene condition of the surrounding also impacts theconstructionanduseofthetoilet.
Improvement of sanitation is linked with other indicators of living conditions. Hence, it is important to have a betterinfrastructure at the household level as well as public service. Better water supply service, housing, construction ofthe bathroom influence the access and use of the toilet. At the same time, high income households with higherpurchasing power for durable goods would lead to better living standards of living and thus sanitation practice. Also,emphasisonfemaleliteracyisimperativeforbettersanitationcoverage. 9

CurbingOpenUrination
One of the things that the average Indian man, Urban and rural, seems never to have learnt is how not to urinate orspit in public spaces. Under new norms, cities and towns wanting to be declared ODF+ (Open Defecation Free Plus)must also be free of public urination and not just open defecation. This is the first time that the Swachh BharatMission(urban)is officiallyincludingthe eliminationofopenurinationin its agenda.
The rural division of SBM had previously preventing public urination was not on their agenda. Cities are differentfrom rural areas. In the case of urban areas, the problem is not one of usage, but of availability. In cities, if toilets areavailable,accessibleand clean,people willautomaticallyusethemratherthanusing theroad.
According to the original ODF protocol, issued in March 2016 "A city/ward is notified as ODF city/ward if, atany point of the day, not a single person is found defecating in the open. The new ODF+ protocol, says that a city,ward or work circle could be declared ODF+ if, "at any point of the day not a single person is found defecatingand/orurinatingintheopen,and allcommunityand public toiletsarefunctionaland well-maintained".
The ODF++ protocol adds the condition that "faecal sludge/septage and sewage is safely managed and treated, withno discharging and/or dumping of untreated faecalsludge/septage and sewage in drains, water bodies or open areas"."Urination has always been implied as part of the ODF agenda, that"s why there is a subsidy for urinals, not justtoilets". 10 493

Bio-Urinals(GreenUrinals)
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the capital of the newly formed Telangana state which hasintroduced bio-urinals in different parts of the Hyderabad and Secunderbad cities. Also called Green urinals, theseKiosks basically are presented as odourless and waterless, equipped with solar power.
Bio-Urinals are hygienic and come with proper system to ensure that it does not inconveniencepedestrians. Adedicated vehicle also has been deployed to clean these facilities at regular intervals and ensure that cleanliness ismaintained. Care was being taken to ensure that bio-urinals do not occupy much of footpath space. They are beinginstalledin corners and since thesebeingfabricated Kiosks, they couldbe adjusted accordingly where required.They are setup in justabout20 Sft to25 Sftspace and are taking all possible steps to ensure that these Kiosks donotdisturbthefootpathspaceandinconveniencepedstrians. 11 Similarfacilitiesnotbeingsetupforwomen.Thedesignforbio-urinalsforwomenareunderpreparation.Proposalis to have them manned by women workers to ensure safety.The GHMC move to provide public sanitation for menthrough urinal boxes, has come under fire from the opposition sex. The urinals, which have been placed onfootpaths at some places will obstruct walkers and make a mess as well, thereby making it difficult to walk, chargemany.12

DelhiMetroRailCorporation-SanitationInPublicPlaces
The Delhi Metro did not include toilets in all the stations in its original plan. It was only after a PIL that the DelhiHighCourtdirectedthe MetroAuthoritiestoconstructtoiletsand provide otherfacilitiesinallstations.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) today operates on a network of 377 kilometres and 274 Metro stations(including the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Corridor). The scale of the operations can be gauged from the fact thatmore than 30 lakh people avail the services every single day for more than 18 hours. Over 320 trains traverse thesedistances carrying people to their chosen destinations. With such massive scale of operations involving millions ofpeople,publicsanitationbecomesanimportantoperationalchallenge.
As an Urban transit provider, Delhi Metro acknowledges the importance of providing safe, clean and hygienicsanitation facilities to its commuters while they are in the premises of DMRC"s network. DMRC provided toiletfacility at all of its 274 stations across Delhi -NCR ( National Capital Region ). This is perhaps the highest numberoftoilets providedbyanyurbantransportsystemintheworld.
The toilets are built inside the station buildings, making them easily accessible for commuters. While constructingthe facilities, Delhi Metro has also ensured that they are easily accessible for the elders, children, and physicallychallengedcommutersaswell.Thechargesforusingtoiletfacilityarekeptnominaltoensureaffordability.

SulabhInternational
Sulabh International, a non-government organization that was registered byBindeshwar Pathak in 1970, with thedeclaredobjectiveofconvertingdry,householdlatrinestohandflushwaterseallatrines(SulabhShanchalayaSystem).TheSulabh sanitationsystem,whichwas designedby Pathak,islowcost,requireslittlespaceforconstruction, one in which the soil decomposes to become manure. Hence, there is no need for scavengers 494 toremovethewaste.TheliberatedScavengersweregivenalternativejobssuchassweeping,cleaningandgarbageremoval by the local municipalities. By 1978, Sulabh International had converted some 10,000 latrines, and theproject"s success drew attention from the World Health Organization, which subsequently impressed its findingsupon the Government of India. Since then Sulabh International has moved into a second phase by constructing "payand use"publictoiletswhichemploytheliberatedscavengersascaretakers. 16

NammaToilet
In December 2011, the Government of Tamil Nadu declared that it would take steps to provide safe sanitation to allitsresidentsby2015.Thisambitiousgoalledto sanitationbeingrecognizedasapriorityStateissue.Theconditionof existing facilities were found to be unfit for use by the dependent population like children, the elderly and thedifferentlyabled.It wasclearthattheexpansionoffacilitiescouldnot takeplacewiththeexistingdesignoftoilets. TheresultwasaUniversaltoilet,whereeveryelementwasdesignedkeepinginmindtheuser.Itwasnamed "Namma Toilet" to inculcate a feeling of ownership and pride in users. This was designed by IIT Bombay"sIndustrial Design Centre. The firstsetwas installed at the Tambaram bus station, Chennai. The three free-tousetoiletsstallsinstalled atthesite getanaverage of600-700usersdaily.
Namma Toilets are prefabricatedmodular stalls and can be assembled atthe site within ashortperiod. Based onlocal needs and availability of space, the toilet can be put up as a standalone unit shared by a family, assembledtogether toform a row of toilets serving a group of families or the floating population, and even an entire complexfor the community. The toilets have louvers on all four sides and a sunroof to allow for optional ventilation, naturallight and a feeling of openness without compromising user privacy. The fittings and fixtures are vandal resistant,durable and userfriendly. Each toilet stall is powered by a Solar panel installed on the roof. During the day, thetoilets get sunlight while the solar panels charge the battery, and when it is dark, the stalls are lit with motion sensorlighting. The interiors are seamless and can be easily cleaned with the help of a water jet. For treating the wastewater,ithasbeen proposedtoprovide arange ofoptions to suitsite specificconditions.

ConstructionOfNewToilets
Lack of water and maintenance of toilets are not the issues citizens are facing in the cities. While the centralgovernment"s guidelines stipulate that there should be a public toilet available for every 500 meters. Construction ofnew toilets, has become a tougher task, with the local residents and traders unwilling to have them in their vicinity.Many organisations such as Sulabh are ready for construction and maintenance of toilets. But government"s areunabletoprovidethemspaceanywhere.Theyhaveconvincedsomeownersofpetrolpumps,andhotelstoopentheirtoiletsforg eneralpublic. 18
NSO"s statistics on toilet usage were also encouraging. It revealed that 95.00 per cent of people with access to toiletsin rural India used them regularly, indicating that the Swachh Bharat Missionefforts to change behaviour had bornefruit. Only 3.5 per cent of those with toilet access in rural India found that they never used them.This was aided bythe factthatwaterwas available aroundthe toiletinmore than95.00 percentofcases.
NSO"s data indicated that the next big challenge may lie in the disposal of waste. More than 50 per cent of ruralIndian households with toilets had septic tanks, while another 21per cent used single pits, both of which need tobe cleaned and faecal sludge must be disposed of safely. Only 10 per cent of toilets were built withthe twin leach pitsystem pushed by the Swachh BharatScheme, which safely composts waste on its own withoutany needforcleaningordisposal. 19

Impact StudiesByVariousEminent Institutions/Organisations
Impactstudiesbyvariouseminentinstitutions/organisationsclearlyhighlightvariousbenefitsacrosshealth,financial, and environment parameters linked to SBM achievements. The latest Environmental Impact study byUNICEF found that in terms of faecal contamination, non-ODF villages were 11.25 times more likely to have theirgroundwater sources and 495 1.13 times more likely to have their soil contaminated and 1.48 times more likely to havetheir food contaminated and2.68 times more likely to have their household drinking water to be contaminated.
AWHO 2018 study had estimated that over 3 lakh lives will be saved by 2019 when India turns ODF.
The Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in a study conducted in 2017 reported that non-ODF areas have around 44percent higher cases of diarrhoea among children.
Another UNICEF study earlier in 2017 suggested that in an ODFvillage, each family saves over Rs. 50,000 per year on account of avoidable medical costs, time savings, and livessaved.

Conclusions:-
The Swachh Bharat Mission had become a "People"s Movement" after it was launched as a government project. Theprogram has really caught on as a Jan Andolan. It has captured the imagination of the country. It has addressedcenturiesold practicesonopendefecation,andithashadmajorhealthand economicimpact.
Swachh Bharat Mission uses a range of motivational messages in an effort to trigger change, including the honourand dignity of women, safety and convenience, children"shealth, savings in medical costs, and the introduction of atoilet as a status symbol. Especially in villages with active safaikarmis, or villages sanitation workers, some of thesemessageshavebeenabsorbed. It is time for communities, leaders and organisations throughout India to make eliminating open defecation a toppriority. This means much more than merely building latrines; it means achieving widespread latrine use. Latrinesonly make people healthier if they are used for defecation. They do not if they are used to store tools or grain, orprovide homes for the family goats, or are taken apart for their building materials. Any response to open defecationmust take seriously the thousands of publicly funded latrines that sit unused (at leasts as toilets) in rural India.Perhapssurprisingly,giving peoplelatrinesisnotenough.
Ending a behaviour as widespread as open defecation is an immense task. To its considerable credit, the Indiangovernment has committed itself to the work, and has been increasing funding for sanitation. Such a big job willdependonthecollaborationofmanypeople, andthesolutionsthatworkindifferentplacesmayprovecomplex.