As the Modi Government race against time to achieve the targets of making the country Open-Defecation Free (ODF) by 2019 under its ambitious Swachchh Bharat Mission, a huge backlog of defunct toilets is proving a headache to it. The latest Government data shows that till July this year, just half of the total 53,24,794 defunct toilets across the States have been made operational under the Central flagship scheme, Swachchh Bharat Mission(SBM).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the SBM with much fanfare in 2014.
However, while construction of new toilets is moving at the satisfactory pace, it is not so with the defunct toilets in the absence of water and adequate drainage system. Senior officials in the Union Water and Sanitation Ministry, a nodal body for implementing the SBM in the rural areas said that as per the statistics, still, 53,24,794 loos are yet to be made usable.
There are at least 1,11,730 villages which have defunct loos which are now being used as stores or other purpose. Most of these toilets were constructed under the Nirmal Bharat scheme during the UPA Government and became defunct over the years due to the Government’s short slightness. Under the SBM, the Modi Government has doled out funds to make these defunct toilets workable.
However, the States seems not to be keen in this regard. Among poor performers States are Uttar Pradesh (26 per cent conversion), Jharkhand(49 per cent), Bihar(18 per cent), Arunanchal Pradesh(22 per cent). In contrast, States like West Bengal and Maharashtra have performed better by repairing the defunct loos at a faster pace to make them functional. (See Box)
Sources in the Ministry say that the number could be on the higher side as in some villages it was found that newly constructed toilets under the flagship programme were rarely used due to various reasons pertaining to the quality of construction and scarcity of water. This was pointed by a Parliamentary panel too in its report submitted in Parliament in March. Taking cognisance of the situation, the panel has asked the Government to ensure that the constructed toilets are safe and sustainable so that they can be utilised for a long period of time.
A panel of the Niti Ayog too had too recently noted that the main challenge in achieving ODF status by October 2, 2019 is reviving the dysfunctional toilets by providing adequate funds. The Government on its part, to ensure availability of fund for conversion of the toilets from dysfunctional to the usable one has given wide options to the States
To meet the financial need, the Government in 2014 set up SBK to facilitate channelisation of philanthropic contributions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. The fund for the purpose (to make the defunct toilets usable, World Bank funding to States have been approved. Also, the States have been given option to use funds being provided under the MGNREGA, Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), State Finance Commission under Providing Core Civic Services and District Mining Fund for any district affected by mining-related operations,” the official added.