The cornerstone of Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen’s achievements thus far has been the strong partnerships that have not only strengthened the system but also brought fresh perspective and innovative solutions specific to the rural context
We are witnessing something really unique and unprecedented in Indian history as we are expanding our horizons, strengthening our economy, and creating transparent and inclusive systems to achieve a ‘developed nation’ status for our country by the year 2047.
We all know how important the role of health and sanitation is in achieving this ambitious target. Proper health and sanitation facilities are often what separate developed nations from their developing counterparts. Lack of access to safe sanitation can pull down any nation, not just in terms of increased disease burden and malnutrition, thus compromising future generations by impairing their cognitive development, but also in terms of economic loss to the nation.
According to a World Bank study, poor sanitation can cost billions in economic loss (6.4 percent of the GDP of India in 2006), due to premature deaths, cost of healthcare treatment, lost time, and productivity.
Additionally, improper disposal and treatment of wastewater and domestic faecal sludge cause pollution that impacts water resources and ecosystems alike. It was against this backdrop that in 2014, India embarked on a journey that sought to eliminate open defecation from the country through the Swachh Bharat Mission.
In just five years from the launch of the initiative, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the world witnessed the coming together of a billion plus people in making India Open Defecation Free (ODF).
But India’s sanitation agenda did not stop there. In the context of rural India, Phase 2 of the mission launched in 2020 is envisioned to not just ensure the sustainability of achievements under Phase 1 but also provide adequate facilities for Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in rural India.
A village that could sustain its ODF status besides having arrangements for either solid or liquid waste management was categorised as an ODF Plus village. The objective is to have all villages of India become ODF Plus villages before the current phase of the mission ends in 2025.
As we enter 2024, out of the 5,91,531 villages under Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBMG), over five lakhs have become ODF Plus. It is truly remarkable considering the scale and scope of the programme and also the fact that it was achieved despite the COVID-19 pandemic posing unforeseen challenges, thereby slowing down the pace of work under the mission for a considerable period of time.
As part of my reflections on the achievement, I would like to comment on the two core tenets of the mission for the sake of building an argument in favour of those who believe in the doctrine of partnership and collaboration for development, besides promoting the vocal-for-local campaign that urges us to support indigenous products and technologies. Both of these principles are significant from the standpoint of sustainability and replicability of the interventions that are undertaken within the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBMG).
The cornerstone of SBMG’s achievements thus far has been the strong partnerships that have not only strengthened the system but also brought fresh perspective and innovative solutions specific to the rural context.
Delivering safe and sustainable sanitation infrastructure and service provision is a complex task, more so in our country with its mosaic of socio-cultural heterogeneity. Establishing relevant partnerships would therefore be key to strengthening and carrying forward the SBMG Phase 2 implementation.
One such partnership model was the Light House Initiative (LHI), launched in January this year.
The India Sanitation Coalition is the principal collaborator of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India, in LHI, which has sought to engage corporates like ITC, HCL Foundation, Tata Trusts, Ambuja Cement, JSW Foundation, Nayara. Energy, Jindal Steel and Power, and a host of others in the first phase to work with the state SBMG missions and take forward the SLWM work for the chosen Gram Panchayats.
This public-private partnership model within the broad purview of SBMG is based on the principles of inclusive sanitation and equitable access. The intervention employs a participatory and consultative approach through mobilisation of the village communities, corporate houses, district and block administrations, village, and Gram Panchayat level officers, working side by side to implement the vision of a clean India.
Technological options owned, used, and operated by communities SBMG 1.0 promoted behaviour change by using the community-led total sanitation approach, which saw the added inclusion of administrative and financial incentives. It triggered communities to demand, construct, and then use a toilet having appreciated the perils of open defecation.
The outcome of the intervention was the emergence of the low-cost, twin-pit-pour-flush toilet model that was unique in the sense that it allowed in-situ treatment of the faecal waste that the households produced as they used the facility. Sustainability and replicability appeared to have been nearly ensured with the deployment of this technology throughout India, barring some rocky terrain where leaching could have been an issue.
In Phase II of the mission, the emphasis also remains on encouraging the use of locally available technologies with low operation and maintenance costs. This has helped promote the use of responsive technological options that can be owned, used, and operated by communities.
Going forward, we will rely on more such partnerships to ensure the necessary investments in the sanitation sector, thereby enabling effective public resource management. It would also help us to ensure the quality and sustainability of the assets created and the timely provision of services rendered by strengthening the institutions at the local level.
(Naina Lal Kidwai is Chair, India Sanitation Coalition.)