Poverty, disease, starvation, and a severe lack of cleanliness have made life miserable for the Musahar community
During floods, snakes and scorpions are more feared than the miscreants here,” said a woman while sharing the fears of defecating outside due to the lack of toilets from Musahari block in Muzaffarpur district in Bihar. The Musahar community, also known as Maha Dalits, is considered one of the most underprivileged communities in Bihar. Unfortunately, they have been excluded from various cleanliness schemes in the country, leaving them with no choice but to continue relying on open defecation. Struggling with annual flooding and being the lowest rung of the social ladder, the marginalized community of Musahars consistently finds itself at the bottom of the list when it comes to accessing government schemes and benefits.
In 2020, the central government launched Phase 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) with a focus on achieving Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus) status by 2024-2025. This phase aims to ensure the sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and improve Solid and Liquid Waste Management in rural areas.
Under Phase 1, all villages, Gram Panchayats, Districts, and States and Union Territories declared themselves as 'open defecation free' on October 2, 2019. However, despite this achievement, there are still a few communities that continue to practice open defecation. This is mainly due to their lack of access to the Swachh Bharat Mission scheme or because they have been affected by natural disasters, which have disrupted the progress made.
Despite the construction of approximately 10.9 crore Individual Household Latrines (IHL) across India and over 1 crore toilets in Bihar alone as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the issue of open defecation persists in the Musahari block. The villagers in this region are compelled to go out for defecation due to the lack of toilets. Building toilets themselves is not a feasible option for them as their meagre income primarily goes towards their survival. Moreover, many men from these villages migrate to other areas in search of better opportunities, leaving the women behind to deal with this challenging situation. The women in particular face the humiliation of encountering derogatory comments from miscreants.
“Despite these challenges, we continue to endure this hardship, often returning home with our heads held low,” a woman from this block shared. The poverty and helplessness caused by the flood in this area have further exacerbated the lives of the people living here. Due to their impoverished conditions, they lack both permanent housing and adequate toilet facilities. The recurrent floods have forced many to endure the hardships repeatedly, leading to homelessness and the necessity to defecate in the open. In numerous villages within the Musahari block, where hunger and poverty prevail, the inhabitants live in squalor. A significant portion of the population suffers from diseases such as Malaria, Typhoid, Tuberculosis, Asthma, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).
In this part of the district, poverty, disease, starvation, and a severe lack of cleanliness have made life miserable. This condition is not limited to just this block; the situation in dozens of Musahar societies across 16 different blocks of the district is also extremely serious in terms of poverty, illiteracy, and cleanliness. Despite the existence of many welfare schemes and government programs aimed at benefiting Maha Dalits, the reality of hundreds of Maha Dalit settlements in different districts of Bihar is eye-opening, particularly when it comes to matters of cleanliness.
Rakesh Kumar, a resident, lamented the perpetual misery faced by the people in this area. “For half the year, they suffer from flood displacement, and the remaining months are dedicated to recovery. Some endure the anguish of river erosion, while others face the pain of migration. With only ten working days per month, they are left with twenty idle days. Consequently, education and cleanliness are neglected,” said Rakesh.
On a positive note, Jayanti Devi, the head of the Panchayat in Rajwara Bhagwan village, has expressed her intention to construct toilets as part of a cleanliness initiative. “Many people in this area are not fully aware of the drawbacks associated with open defecation. A few individuals in the village who have some awareness have taken the initiative to build their own toilets. These makeshift toilets are constructed using bamboo planks and pillars. Unfortunately, women in the village feel ashamed to use these toilets during the day,” highlighted Jayanti.
The Musahar community will continue to face challenges unless schemes are developed that address their specific issues. In this case, improving access to sanitation facilities in flood-prone areas by constructing and promoting the use of household toilets and community toilets that are resilient to flooding can be the starting point.
(Vandana writes stories from rural India)
