Citing absence of water supply in many residential premises in the villages where toilets are being constructed, a Parliamentary panel has questioned the Government’s claim of making the country open-defecation free (ODF) by 2019. It has also questioned the quality of toilets being built under the Modi Government’s ambitious Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) scheme.
The panel headed by lok Sabha member, Dr P Venugopal, said that going through the factual and ground realities prevalent in the country, it is quite perplexed as to how ODF can be created without the availability of adequate water provisions.
In its report which was tabled in Parliament recently, the panel noted that merely, funding the scheme and completing the targets are not suffice and will defeat the real purpose of the scheme. For, it said, the priority of Government should not be limited to the construction of infrastructure only but they should also be pragmatic enough to give priority to the essential needs for toilet usages.
It gave instance of the government data, according to which out of 8,02,054 habitations in Open Defecation Free (ODF) dec0lared villages, 4,22,305 habitations have been provided Piped Water Supply Schemes (PWSS) upto December last year.
The Committee recommended the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to prioritize the provision of water availability along with the construction of toilets under the SBM and apprise it of actual figures of toilets constructed having water facilities.
The panel also found to its utter dismay that many toilets already constructed under the SBM have become defunct and non-usable due to various reasons pertaining to the quality of construction and scarcity of water.
“The Committee was disturbed while taking cognizance of this situation and feels that for the success of this vision (ODF by 2019), the constructed toilets needs to be safe and sustainable so that they can be utilised for a long period of time.
“In this regard, the Committee feel that assessment by the Ministry needs to be done regarding the number of such constructed toilets which have already become redundant and unusable,” said the report.