08 February 2024 – The Indian Express

Increasing Transformative Power of SBM-Grameen

• The Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP), which was introduced in 1986 and is heavily subsidised, is the first of the nation’s many public sanitation initiatives. The Total Sanitation Campaign of 1999 signalled the transition from a demand-driven strategy and large subsidies to a low subsidy regime.
• The goal of the public sanitation programme, known as Swachh Bharat Mission-­Grameen (SBM-­G) to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by October 2019, was transformed into a mission in 2014.
• Encouraging more people to use sanitary facilities has been one of India’s major public policy successes during the last ten years. Goal 6 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the UN is access to water and sanitation.

Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G): What is it?

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti launched it in 2014 with the goal of focusing attention on sanitation and accelerating efforts to attain universal sanitation coverage.
• The goal of the mission, known as the janandolan, was to end open defecation in rural areas through a national campaign.

Phase I of SBM (G):

• When SBM (G) was introduced on October 2, 2014, the country’s rural sanitation coverage was 38.7%.
• Since the mission’s inception, over 10 crore individual toilets have been built; as a result, as of October 2, 2019, rural regions across all States have declared themselves to be off-limits.

SBM(G) Phase-II:

• The sustainability of phase I accomplishments is emphasised, as is the need to give rural India’s Solid/Liquid & Plastic Waste Management (SLWM) facilities that are acceptable.
• Its mission mode implementation would take place between 2020–2021 and 2024–2025, with a total budget of Rs. 1,40,881 crores.
• Four major regions will have the SLWM component of ODF Plus monitored based on output-outcome indicators:
• management of plastic garbage
• management of biodegradable solid waste, particularly that of animal waste,
• Household wastewater, or greywater, management
• Sludge management from faeces.

SBM’s sub-components:

• Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources using the GOBAR-DHAN Scheme:
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti introduced it in 2018.
• Through the production of compressed biogas (CBG) from biodegradable waste, the programme seeks to increase farmers’ income.

Latrines used in individual households (IHHL):  

• Individuals receive approximately fifteen thousand under SBM for the installation of restrooms.
• Abhiyan Swachh Vidyalaya:
• The goal of the Swachh Vidyalaya Programme, which was started by the Ministry of Education as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, is to install separate restrooms for boys and girls in all government schools within a year.

Campaign Swachhta Hi Sewa:  

• Every year, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) jointly organise the Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) campaign, which runs from September 15 to October 2. The programme’s goal is to generate jan andolan through community engagement through shramdaan activities.
• to encourage the application of SBM;
• To spread awareness of the value of a sampoorna swachh village;
• To reaffirm that maintaining sanitation is everyone’s responsibility;
• additionally as a lead-up to the countrywide Swachh Bharat Diwas on October 2.

Best-Performing States:

• The Andaman & Nicobar Islands, D&N Haveli, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Tripura are the top-performing States/UTs that have attained 100% ODF Plus villages.
• Out of all the states and union territories, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands have 100% ODF Plus Model villages.
• These States and UTs have made great strides towards becoming ODF Plus states, and their efforts have been crucial in helping them to realise this accomplishment.

Defecation-Free Open Status:

• ODF: If not a single person is discovered defecating in the open during the course of the day, an area may be alerted or designated as ODF.
• ODF+: This designation is granted if, at all times during the day, no one is observed urinating or defecating in the open and all community and public restrooms are in good working order and upkeep.
• ODF++: If the region is already ODF+ and sewage and faecal sludge/septage are safely handled and treated, with no dumping or discharge of untreated sewage and faecal sludge into open drains, water bodies, or areas, then this designation is granted.

What Problems Exist When Changing Under SBM-G From ODF to ODF+ Status?

Conduct Issues:  

• The building of restrooms does not guarantee that people will utilise them. According to data from the 69th wave of the National Sample poll Office (NSSO) poll, 4% of people with access to a toilet in rural homes in 2012—when 59% lacked one—reported not using it.
• The absence of a superstructure (21%), facility malfunctions (22%), unclean/unhygienic conditions (20%), and personal reasons (23%) were the main excuses given for not utilising one.

Region-Specific Difficulties:  

• According to a 2018 poll that looked at three states’ best and poorest covered districts and blocks, 59% of homes in Bihar, 66% of households in Gujarat, and 76% of households in Telangana had access to a toilet.
• Of the homes with access, at least one member did not utilise it in 38% of Bihar households, 50% of Gujarat households, and 14% of Telangana households.
• One of the two districts chosen from the State, Dahod district, has a higher rate of non-use of toilets because of limited water supplies.
• If a household has access to water at their doorstep, toilet use is reported to be highly high in rural and underdeveloped regions. A home with a detached bathroom is likewise less likely to have its members use the lavatory.

Problems Caused by Conventional Purity Norms:

• In 2020, it was found in another study that 61% of families in West Bengal and 27% of households in Gujarati survey villages lacked a personal toilet. Furthermore, in both States, about 3% of households did not use their own toilets.
• In Gujarat, one-fourth of the households who did not utilise it gave no particular explanation. It’s possible that social expectations of purity discouraged them from using the loo.
• Storerooms are made out of toilets that are not used for defecation. The facility is utilised for bathing and clothes washing if social conventions forbid using the lavatory on the property.

Issues with Persistent Quality:  

• Problems with quality are yet another important factor. In Gujarat, 50% of individuals who did not use the loo said that the pits were full, and 17% said that the substructure had fallen.
• In West Bengal, one-third of non-users said the superstructure had fallen, while another one-third said the pit was filled.

Disparities in Survey Results About Toilet Access:

• The selection of different districts accounts for the discrepancies in survey results on the percentage of households with access to and use of toilets. According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s more thorough National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) Round-3 (2019–20), 95% of India’s rural population have access to a toilet.
• 79%, 14%, and 1% of households had access to owned, shared, and public restrooms, respectively. Additionally, 96% of the toilets were said to be operational and nearly all had access to water.
• Only 85% of those living in rural areas, according to the same survey, may have accessed secure, useful, and sanitary restrooms. The difference between the number of persons who have access to toilets and the number of homes that do so increases to 10%.

Constraints on Household Size:  

• Various econometric models demonstrate that toilet use is dependent on household size in addition to economic status and educational attainment. The likelihood of not using the loo increases with household size.
• Social customs and overcrowding make it impossible for every household member to use the same toilet. Only 3% to 4% of families, according to our 2020 poll, have more than one toilet.

Issues with SBM-G Phase II:

• There are no requirements in Phase II of the initiative requiring houses bigger than a specific size to have more than one toilet. It also doesn’t have any plans for adding an adjoining bathroom.

The Jal Jeevan Mission’s detached role:  

• The goal of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) campaign is to supply tap water to every household by 2024. However, no correlation has been found between the percentage of villages proclaimed ODF Plus across States and the per capita central expenses made on the JJM.
• Additionally, there is no correlation found between the proportion of ODF Plus villages within a State and the number of families with tap connections.

Differences Between Socioeconomic Classes:  

• Sanitation practices also differ among socioeconomic groups. According to NARSS-­3, upper castes had the greatest access to restrooms (97%) while scheduled castes had the lowest (95%). The multi-state study discovers that upper castes have a greater non-user percentage than lower castes.

Insufficient Synergy:

• The SBM­G’s first phase saw the construction of about 10 crore toilets between 2014 and 2019. Increased awareness of safe sanitation techniques has also been brought about by the surge in coverage.
• But the country still has to adjust its collective behaviour. According to our research, changing one’s behaviour in the area of sanitation cannot occur on its own.
• It depends on social networks and general improvements in living conditions, such as better housing and easier access to essential services.
• Each of these fundamental needs has its own programme, but it is not well-coordinated. Despite high levels of spending on meeting basic necessities, India’s lack of overall planning has resulted in a lack of programming cohesion.

How Can SBM-G Be Enhanced for Greater Effectiveness?  

Integrating Out-of-School Families:  

• These polls highlight two main problems: the homes that are left out and the toilets that are not utilised for defecation. Phase II coverage of the excluded families is necessary because they seem to be sizable.
• Conversely, it is imperative that the administration recognise the inadequacies of the preceding phase and address them in the current one.

Using Campaigns for Behavioural Change:  

• Campaigns to modify sanitation-related behaviour should take into account the building and use phases. Additionally, the different networks throughout villages should be taken into account while designing campaigns, since in certain villages home behaviour might change on its own, while in others it can happen collectively.
• It appears that social engineering using social networks in a society plagued by caste hierarchy and regressive norms was not sufficiently considered in Phase II of the SBM­G.
• In rural India, films like “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” (“Toilet: A Love Story”), which feature prominent parts from national performers, ought to be screened and promoted.
• This has the potential to increase public awareness of the importance of using the lavatory and using safe, hygienic home sanitation techniques.

Taking an All-Inclusive Perspective:  

• Certain people who belong to marginalised groups in society, such as women-headed households, landless individuals, migrant labourers, and people with disabilities, still lack access to toilets in their houses or find that the toilets they do have are inaccessible.
• From the standpoints of human rights and public health, it is imperative to assist these marginalised groups, as they already lack access to essential services and face a range of health problems.

Expanded Function Of Establishments:

• Sanitation methods need to be improved further for educational institutions, child care centres, hospitals, and other government facilities. In this setting, sanitation coverage of disaggregated data in public facilities and among the underprivileged segments of society necessitates creativity to cover people that are overlooked.

Adopting an Extended and Holistic Perspective:  

• Only having access to toilets does not guarantee sanitary and safe sanitation practices in a country like India, where 60% of the population lives in rural regions and the country is enormous in terms of diversity, culture, and population.
• For example, the Central Rural Sanitation Programme, India’s first sanitation initiative, which was introduced in 1986, taught us that building toilets alone did not result in people using them.
• In order for India to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG), which is to “ensure access to water and sanitation for all,” by 2030, a variety of interrelated social, political, and economic variables must be taken into account.

Technology Adoption and Integration:  

• The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed mobile apps, MIS, dashboards, and APIs for e-Governance that are intended to track the implementation of ODF Plus in various states. These solutions must be integrated.
• A robust, interoperable, scalable, secure, role-based system that allows users to enter all solid and liquid assets together with geocoordinates using a mobile app is what an SBM-G e-governance solution should look like.