Congratulations! India Is Open Defecation Free
Down To Earth|October 1, 2019
On Mahatma Gandhi’s 150 th birthday, India becomes open defecation free. While it is an occasion to celebrate the achievement of creating millions of toilets in record time, it is also a time to plan for ensuring that the gains made are not lost and the pollution remains checked. Down To Earth reporters travel to 13 districts in six states to gauge if India can sustain its open defecation-free status, while Sushmita Sengupta and Snigdha Das analyse the challenges ahead
Sushmita Sengupta And Snigdha Das
Congratulations! India Is Open Defecation Free

A sense of jubilation fills the air in Uttar Pradesh’s Benda village as the Union government prepares to declare the country open defecation free (ODF) on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. This is the date Prime Minister Narendra Modi had envisioned India to attain Sampoorna Swachhata (total sanitation) under his flagship Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).

Benda is located in the drought-prone poverty-stricken region of Bundelkhand. Yet by 2018, much before Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath could bag the ODF tag for the state, Benda had managed to declare itself ODF. Bright colored motifs and slogans now adorn the walls of toilets, the only concrete structure neatly scattered across the village. “The decorations are part of the competitions we organize from time to time so that people keep their toilets clean and use them,” says 75-year-old Matgayan Singh. He is a Swachhagrahi, our foot soldier of the mission, whose responsibility is to leverage his social ties in the village to reinforce the message of sanitation. “The task was not easy initially when SBM was launched (in October 2014). But gradually people understood the security linked with toilets,” he says. The region is infamous for attacks and assaults on women, particularly when they step out early in the morning or late in the evening to relieve themselves.

Esta historia es de la edición October 1, 2019 de Down To Earth.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición October 1, 2019 de Down To Earth.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE DOWN TO EARTHVer todo
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Down To Earth

A SPRIG TO CARE FOR

Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
DIGGING A DISASTER
Down To Earth

DIGGING A DISASTER

Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Down To Earth

REVIEW THE TREATMENT

Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
Down To Earth

MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE

As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Down To Earth

Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?

Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
TROUBLED WOODS
Down To Earth

TROUBLED WOODS

Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health

time-read
10+ minutos  |
November 01, 2024
BLINDING GLOW
Down To Earth

BLINDING GLOW

The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
November 01, 2024
GROUND REALITY
Down To Earth

GROUND REALITY

What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
Down To Earth

GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC

On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 01, 2024
Vinchurni's Gandhi
Down To Earth

Vinchurni's Gandhi

A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 01, 2024