Major States Lagging Far Behind In Achieving Mission Swachh Bharat Grameen Phase II

New Delhi: Even as the Centre has initiated the Phase II of SBM (G) in February 2020 to be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25, government data revealed that several major states lag far behind in achieving two critical components of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) (SBM-G) Phase II including open defecation free (ODF) sustainability and covering all villages with Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) by 2024-25 deadline.

Government data available with ETV Bharat revealed that states like Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Punjab performed very poorly in achieving ODF plus whereas states like Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh performed very well and the majority of the villages in these states achieved ODF plus.

In states like Assam, Goa, Gujarat and Haryana where several blocks in rural areas have been covered with the rural PWMU, but their achievement is very poor. A plastic waste management unit is a facility that collects, stores, and processes plastic waste.

Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)

The Centre launched Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) (SBM-G) on October 2, 2014 aiming to eliminate open defecation in the country by October 2, 2019. The effectiveness of the programme was predicated upon generating demand for toilets leading to their construction and sustained use by all the household members.

Swachh Bharat Mission Phase II (Grameen)

Having achieved the outcomes of ODF to focus on ODF plus activities including ODF sustainability and to cover all villages with Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM), the Union Cabinet approved the Phase II of SBM (G) in February 2020 to be implemented from 2020-21 to 2024-25

Components of the SBM (Grameen)

The major components of the SBM (Grameen) were the construction of individual household latrines (IHHLs), construction of community sanitary complexes (CSCs), solid and liquid waste management (SLWM), information, education and communication (IEC) and capacity building.

Funding patterns under SBM(G) were in a ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and states for all components (90:10 in the case of Northeastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and UT of Jammu & Kashmir. In the case of other UTs, 100 per cent share is borne by the Centre.

Financial Allocation

The budgetary allocation under SBM Phase II (G) in 2020-21 was Rs 9994.10 crore which came down to Rs 6000.00 crore in the revised estimate and Rs 4947.92 crore in actual. The budget estimate for 2024-25 was Rs 7192.00 crore and Rs 7192.00 crore (RE) whereas the actual allocation was Rs 2354.60 crore.

Following the fact that a lot of work needs to be done in this central project, the centre has allocated a budget estimate of Rs 7192.00 crore in 2025-26, an extended deadline to implement the project.

Open Defecation Free (ODF) Status

As per data provided in the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the SBM, all the villages have declared themselves Open Defecation Free (ODF) as of October 2, 2019.

However, a good number of villages in several States are yet to get ODF plus. Villages in States like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Punjab have achieved less than 20 per cent target of ODF plus.

Progress under Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM)

Under Phase-II of SBM(G), SLWM progress is being captured through a Mobile App developed by NIC, DDWS for the purpose. 4,87,956 villages covered with Solid Waste Management whereas 5,17,600 villages have been covered with Liquid Waste Management.

43 per cent bocks in India have functional Plastic Waste Management Units (PWMU)

For Plastic Waste Management in rural areas, the Plastic Waste Management Units are developed at block level or for clusters of blocks. In addition, the blocks are also covered for plastic waste management through tie-ups with Urban MRFs. At present, there are a total 3987 blocks covered with the rural Plastic Waste Management Units (PWMU) or urban Material Recovery Facility (MRF) out of 7155 blocks thereby constituting 56 per cent coverage. Out of existing 3987 blocks, 1738 blocks have been reporting the day-to-day functionality on the portal which means nearly 43 per cent of the blocks’ PWMUs and MRFs are functional.

In total more than 4120 Tonnes of plastic waste has been handled and converted and utilized which includes 953 Tonnes of Waste Plastic Sent to Cement Kilns, 471 Tonnes of Waste Plastic used for Road Construction, 2335 Tonnes of Plastic sent for recycling and more than 229 Tonnes sent to Urban MRF.

States Witnessing Poor and Good Progress in PWMU

In States like Assam, Goa, Gujarat, and Haryana where several blocks in rural areas have been covered with the rural PWMU, their achievement is zero.

Although 109 blocks (of the total 240 blocks) in rural areas of Assam have been covered with PWMU, the number of functional PWMUs is zero. Similarly, in States and UTs like Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland, the number of functional PWMUs is zero.

On the other hand, States like Tamil Nadu (92 per cent blocks), Odisha (86 per cent blocks), Himachal Pradesh (74 per cent blocks), Bihar (48 per cent blocks) have reported functional PWMUs.

Reason For Poor Implementation

Progress under Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) works was slow as the main focus during the initial years was on planning and further due to lack of technical knowhow at the initial stage led to the poor implementation of several components under SBM-II. The prevalence of Covid19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021 also slowed down the pace of implementation at ground level.

SBM (G) A Necessity For Good Health

While the success of the programme had several positive factors, including providing dignity and security to women and girls, Nature magazine in its report validates SBM’s significant health impact, asserting that the provision of toilets under the Mission saved the lives of 60,000–70,000 infants and children under the age of five on an annual basis.

Nature is the world's leading multi-disciplinary science journal.

Nature's findings underscore the critical role of sanitation in improving child health and reducing mortality. The study’s results suggest that future efforts should focus on sustaining behavioural changes and ensuring that constructed toilets are utilized effectively to maximize health benefits.

Scale of Impact

Toilets constructed increased dramatically across India following the implementation of the SBM in 2014. According to the Nature report, over 117 million toilets have been constructed since 2014 with a public investment of over 1.4 lakh crore. Results from the analyses suggest that every 10 percentage point increase in district-level access following SBM corresponds with a reduction in district-level IMR by 0.9 points and U5MR by 1.1 points on average.

“There is further evidence of a threshold effect wherein the district level toilet coverage of 30 per cent (and above) corresponds with substantial reductions in infant and child mortality,” the study stated.

It further revealed that districts with over 30 per cent toilet coverage under SBM experienced reductions of 5.3 in the IMR and 6.8 in the U5MR per thousand live births.

Positive Impact of SBM In Health Sector

Talking to ETV Bharat, renowned health expert and Chair of the Programme Advisory Committee of the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Prof Suneela Garg said that gastrointestinal infections like diarrhea, dysentery, jaundice, typhoid etc will disappear when people maintain cleanliness.

“Poor sanitation and poor hygiene, garbage and waste make people ill. If we make the areas ODF, the action will especially benefit the women and girls because this will protect them from urinal infection,” said Prof Garg who is also an advisor in ICMR.

According to Prof Garg, when people urinate in drains, they inhale harmful toxins which are poisonous and harmful to their health.

“When we talk about Swachh Bharat, we talk about overall Swachata. So, maintaining hygiene is very necessary for health,” she said and added, “When we maintain cleanliness around us, we can prevent the breeding of flies, stop water accumulation and avoid malaria and other waterborne diseases.”

People Can Also Help In Extending Swachata

According to professor Garg, the empowerment of Gram Panchayat is very much necessary. “Gram panchayat will stimulate the Swacchta Abhiyan but the Anganwadi workers, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and community health officers also play a big role in SBM.

“Such people who work at the grassroots level, they can reach to the last mile. So, with their active support is a big boon in SBM,” said professor Garg.

She said that schoolchildren can also contribute to the Swachh Bharat Mission by promoting cleanliness in their schools, spreading awareness about hygiene and sanitation, participating in community clean-up drives, and learning about the issues at hand through educational activities.

“When they are taught about cleanliness and hygiene in their schools, the children can also teach their parents back home in village areas,” said professor Garg.