Swachh Bharat Mission: An Outstanding Achievement, But Challenges Remain

A huge shift has been seen in Indian people after the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission. More and more people are coming forward in cleanliness drives and small actions of people are helping in the achievement of the “Clean India, Dream India” vision.

Many special classes are being conducted in schools and colleges. And many programs are being run to educate people about the healthy habits of sanitation. Even the NGOs have collected funds and organized c cleaning rivers, public places, and planting of trees. Though the Swachh Bharat Mission has been widely supported, it has faced many challenges.

Accurate data — the number of toilets built, the amount of subsidy reached, etc. there is no accurate data for the same.

Maintenance- As the government’s focus shifts to toilet use, maintenance of public toilets, operational sewage systems and garbage free urban areas authorities should plan to overcome the challenges on water, sanitation and hygiene.

Facilities- Scarcity of water and lack of water supply has emerged as a major reason for people in many parts not using the toilets. Lack of access to water supply and drainage facilities is also another serious problem, mostly in urban areas

Motivation- Motivate people for toilet usage and monitoring the progress in ODF villages are other areas which needs focus.

Sustenance- To sustain the progress made on toilet access and to ensure the usage of toilets

The Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 will focus on source segregation of solid waste, utilizing the principles of 3Rs — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Scientific processing of all types of municipal solid waste and remediation of legacy dumpsites will also be taken up for effective solid waste management under this phase of the scheme. This nationwide cleanliness drive under SBM will continue till 2025–26.

Despite all these hurdles, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan nearly succeeded in reaching its goal. More than 95% of Indian villages have become open defecation free by now. The aim is surely 100%.