Swachh Bharat Mission: Success or failure
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is a mass movement that was launched in 2014, with an aim to eliminate open defecation, achieve universal sanitation coverage, and put focus on sanitation. It was started based on the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, who always had put emphasis on swachhta (Cleanliness) and leading a healthy and prosperous life.
But there have been concerns regarding the reporting of the data by the government of India such as over-reporting, actual usage of toilets, etc. Let us understand where India stands today since the launch of SBM. What has been achieved and what more is yet to be done.
What are the objectives of SBM?
The mission seeks to eliminate open defecation, eradicate manual scavenging, and improve urban and rural solid waste management. It also seeks to effect behavioral changes regarding healthy sanitation practices, generate awareness about sanitation and its linkages with public health.
Poor sanitation is a leading cause of diseases worldwide, improving sanitation and inculcating healthy habits can improve household conditions. Ultimately elevating community conditions. Poor sanitation leads to high morbidity, poor nutritional outcomes, and premature deaths.
Open defecation in India
Open defecation free is defined as the absence of visible faeces in the environment. India has the highest open defecation rates in the world, a problem that comes with severe public health consequences.
As of 2019, the government claimed to have constructed 9.2 crores toilets. The government also declared 5.5 lakh villages and 28 of India’s 36 states and union territories had become open defecation free.
But the independent survey gives a mixed picture for the government’s claims. According to The Research Institute for Compassionate Economics, open defecation had reduced by 26% in the four years since the launch of SBM. Also, the access to toilets increased from 37% in 2014 to 71% in 2018. The RICE survey found 23% of people who own a toilet continue to defecate in the open, including people in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which have been declared open defecation-free states.
Open defecation levels came down in India but not as much as what the government is claiming.
Manual scavenging in India
Manual scavenging is the practice of removing human excreta by hand from sewers or septic tanks. The work is mostly undertaken by members of the Dalit caste, which is at the bottom of India’s archaic caste system. India has banned the practice of manual scavenging under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (PEMSR). The Act recognizes manual scavenging as a “dehumanizing practice,” and cites a need to “correct the historical injustice and indignity suffered by the manual scavengers.”
The SBM was started with one of its objectives as to eradicate manual scavenging from India. Is manual scavenging over in India? — NO
Low awareness, lack of enforcement, high cost of automation, cheaper availability of labour, and caste dynamics are the reasons why manual scavenging is still prevalent in India.
President Ramnath Kovind called manual scavenging a shameful practice while distributing the Swachh Survekshan Awards in November by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
What needs to be done?
Regular surveys should be carried out against the involvement of manual scavengers by public and local authorities. Efforts must be taken for the skill and capacity building of manual scavengers for alternate livelihood. Awareness must also be created for the legal protection of manual scavengers.
Solid waste management in India
India generates over 150,000 tonnes of municipal waste per day. But only 83% of the waste collected and less than 30% is treated. Since the launch of SBM, there has been a considerable change in the mindset of the people.
Urbanization, industrialization, and economic growth have resulted in increased municipal solid waste (MSW) generation per person. The key to success for waste management is segregation at the source and waste goes through recycling or disposal through different streams as per the category of waste.
Outcome of SBM
According to the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey 2017–18 (NARSS), 77% of rural households had access to toilets and 93.4% of them used toilets regularly. Survey also claimed 95.6% of the surveyed villages that had been declared ODF were indeed free from open defecation.
In the urban areas, the government had aimed to build 67 lakh toilets by Oct 2019. The government claimed to built 60 lakh household toilets and 4 lakh community toilets by Oct 2018.
There are differences in the figures quoted in NARSS and National family health survey (NFHS)-4, which collected data in 2015–16.
According to NFHS, more than 50% of rural households defecate in open. Even in the states and districts which were declared ODF by the government, NHFS found a high level of open defecation.
According to a survey conducted by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics in 2014 and 2018, the number of people who had access to toilet but still defecated in the open was constant between 2014 and 2018 at 23%. The survey also found that at least 43% of rural people in Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh continue to defecate in open. Another observation was the toilets that were constructed had no running water, making them unusable.
Why there are discrepancies in outcomes?
There are many reasons for the differences in the results quoted, mainly due to what is considered as the parameter for achievement by different agencies. Firstly, the government has been declaring states and districts ODF based on the ownership of toilets rather than their actual usage.
Secondly, the government based its target on a 2012 survey of the number of toilets in rural households. This led to exclusion of households that emerged after 2012 due to family expansions.
The data on the regular use of toilets in NARSS (93.4%) is also questionable. As per the survey conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment in 2017 in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, regular use of toilets was low because of lack of water connection in toilets.
Toilets were often converted and used as storage areas, they were mainly built due to subsidies provided by the government.
Success of Swachh Bharat Mission
SBM was able to disseminate the message of the importance of sanitation to the masses. This was possible by aligning the goal with different people at different levels. SBM was also successful in making people believe that the set targets are achievable. SBM bought young professionals and experienced bureaucrats together.
At the core of SBM, it was able to bring behavioral changes. Sanitation and garbage segregation became Indian people’s lexicon. Media, celebrities, bollywood stars, and sportspersons were bought to stage, engaging people with the SBM. It nudged people to realise that sanitation is not an individual good, but a community good. As its full benefits accrue only when it is universal.
The progress of SBM surpassed the expectations of many. NGOs, corporates through CSR initiatives, and civil society initiatives were bought together which played a vital role in mainstreaming sanitation.
What more needs to be done?
More work shall be done for the all round development in villages which are not been able to keep pace with faced paced economic development. Rural housing and water supply are key to bringing toilets to all, the focus shall also be on continuous water supply in toilets. Merely constructing toilets will not solve the problem.
Panchayats and local bodies lack the capacity and resources to bring universal sanitation. They struggle with the infamous devolution of 3Fs; Fund, Function, and Functionaries. There is a need to enlarge the domain of panchayats to be able to raise their own funds.
The approach for urban and rural shall be different, as in rural areas the main focus was on changing the mindset. But in urban areas, waste management is a major challenge. The funds allocated for solid waste management are minimal. There is a limited provision of funds for laying the sewerage networks. The strategy used for SBM (Grameen) will not yield successful results in the urban area. Recurring funds must be provided for the collection of waste and its disposal. Also, a window may be given to municipalities to revamp its capabilities.
Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0
The Mission will focus on ensuring complete access to sanitation facilities to serve additional populations migrating from rural to urban areas in search of employment and better opportunities over the next 5 years.
The government seeks to achieve complete liquid waste management, source segregation, material recovery facilities, construction & demolition waste processing, mechanical sweeping, and remediation of legacy dump sites.
‘The garbage mountains in cities will be processed and removed completely as part of Swachta second phase. One such garbage mountain has been in Delhi for long, it’s also waiting to be removed.’ said Prime minister Narendra Modi while announcing the scheme.
Conclusion
SBM has been able to transform India from the world’s highest contributor to open defection to torch bearer of sanitation. During SBM, we saw political leadership inspiring citizens and various leaders at all levels, which played a catalyst for large-scale transformation. Though manual scavenging is banned in India but still prevalent in parts of the country. The government’s dedicated program for Faecal sludge management in SBM 2.0 is a step in the right direction. Triggering behavioral change through information, education, and communication is one of the key components of SBM, which to an extent the government has been able to achieve. SBM is a continuous movement that should not end, there is always room for more improvement.
