Total sanitation can only be achieved with the support of the community and religious leaders, stated State PHED and Home Minister, Ramsevak Paikra on Thursday.
He was speaking on the concluding ceremony of a two-day workshop on developing ‘Sanitation, Hygiene, Advocacy and Communication Strategy’ (SHACS) for Chhattisgarh. The workshop was organised in support with UNICEF and State PHED Department
Paikra called for inter-departmental co-ordination to attain total sanitation objectives in the State. He called upon officials to sensitize people for achieving “Nirmal Grams” (Clean Villages) across the State. The Minister also assured to issue letters to the district collectors and other government officials to prioritise sanitation.
“The elimination of open defecation is a time consuming process as in involves behavioural change” noted Prasanta Dash, Chief of Field Office–UNICEF Chhattisgarh.
He added that to end open defecation, the focus should be on behavioural change than on building toilets since the issue is linked with deep-rooted social norms. During his closing remarks, T G Kosariya, PHED Engineer-in-Chief said that to achieve total sanitation, access to water plays a significant role and urged the government officials to focus on providing access to water to every household in the State.