Open Defecation in India

In Open Defecation (OD), people use fields, forests, rivers, canals, drains, bushes, roads, railway tracks etc. to defecate instead of use of toilets. Prevalence of Open Defecation around the World In terms of total number of persons practicing OD, India is top country of the world with around 626 million people defecating in open. As […]

Critical Assessment of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

In the first nine months of 2014, about 25 lakh toilets were built and in the next three months about 24 lakh toilets were constructed – making it 49 lakh toilets built in fiscal year 2014-15. While that may seem like an impressive number, it pales in comparison to the gargantuan 11.12 crore toilets that need to […]

Implementation Issues in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

The problem with the earlier programmes is at the implementation level. Poor implementation of sanitation schemes is the reason that India is plagued with health and hygiene issues. A report by the UNICEF India and Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) revealed that only 49 percent of the budget had been utilized between 1999 and 2011. Poor utilization […]

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Behavioral Change over Toilet Building

Open defecation is rampant in our country. According to a report by the World Health Organization, India is ranked the highest when it comes to the number of people practicing open defecation. The percentage reduction is also nominal, and we fall behind countries like Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and so on. It does not only threaten […]