The efforts of Bokaro district administration to make the district open defecation-free (ODF) are yielding results. Out of 18 panchayats, 8 found in full defecation-free status while rest 10 are about to get the status, said Ram lakhan Prasad Gupta the Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) Bokaro.
Working in this direction, DDC asked the officials to make it sure that Bokaro would be made ODF by 28 February.
The district nodal officer of Swachh Bharat Mission, S N Upadhayay asked the officials for earliest uploading the list of the panchayats after taking the utility certificates from the concerned authority.
Amid erecting toilets it is essential to nudge habit change for open defecation behaviour, Upadhayay urges. “The panchayat representatives should come forward to convince the mass by organising a public meet in a bid to make them aware”, he added.
This (community led total sanitation) is the most effective approaches for triggering this change (ODF) which involves bringing together the residents of a community and get them to understand the health and economic consequences of defecating outside, he said.
“When this is done through continuous engagement then it will prompt the whole community to decide collectively that it is beneficial to stop open defecation and to build and use toilets. This approach is sustainable and long lasting”, he added.
Notably, defecation in the open is completely banned in Chas (Bokaro) on 22 December 2016 and section 133 of CrPC was imposed in a bid to achieve open defecation-free (ODF) status under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA).