Sanitation Programmes In India — Taking India To The Path Of Sustainable Development!

Since the beginning of humankind, open defecation has been a prevalent practice. As the population densities were lower, and there were much less garbage and waste generation previously; thus, this did not come across as a major problem. The Earth naturally dealt with the human wastes by decomposing them in a few years. But even till date, a fully functional toilet is a dream for a few households which comes across as a major challenge while trying to implement sustainable sanitation in India. Addressing the rural sanitation is more difficult as the villagers consider open defecation as a sign of courage and bravery and see it as a time to socialise with other members of the village.

The lack of toilets affects young children the most causing infectious diseases like diarrhoea and malnutrition. The World Bank stated that one in ten deaths in India happens due to poor sanitation. Through polluted groundwater, children come in contact with chronic infections which damages their body’s ability to take in nutrients. Even the young girls have to face the perils of open defecation by putting their safety at risk. The most effective way to tackle this issue is by inducing behavioural change through highlighting the cons of open defecation and the pros of hygienic sanitation.

On coming to power in 2014, Shri Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister declared that the government would try to stop open defecation by October 2, 2019. Over the years many sanitation programmes in India were introduced by the government such as the Total Sanitation Campaign to improve and expedite the sanitation coverage, especially in rural areas. Later it was renamed Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan in 2012 and relaunched as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. The primary element of this model remained to implement behavioural change for a long-lasting impact.

India Sanitation Coalition is one such platform that enables the funders to connect with the implementers in order to execute behavioural change for sustainable sanitation. The organization helps the various stakeholders who share the same goal to collaborate and work non-stop effectively. The Swachata Doot Model, an initiative taken by them, focuses on the behaviour changes under the shield of Swachh Bharat Campaign. If you are somebody keen on working and contributing your bit in the sanitation sector, visit their website and find out more about their initiatives and ways to collaborate.