Toilets increasing, but number of those functional low: Report

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh has set 2018 as its target for being an open defecation free (ODF) state. However, the task doesn’t seem easy.

A sanitation assessment conducted by Sa-Dhan in Uttar Pradesh highlights that though, the number of toilets continues to increase, number of functional toilets at ground level remains to be low. Thus, the government needs to invest on capacity building to ensure results.

Sa-Dhan is the organisation that carried the assessment shared during a seminar on credit financing for ODF organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with India Sanitation Coalition.

“We found that there are a number of gaps on the ground level. While the number of toilets is growing, number of functional toilets continues to be a concern,” said Saibal Paul of Sa-Dhan on Wednesday.

“We observed during the survey that the gram pradhans issue first installments of ₹6000 to people, but when they approach for second installment, they deny. Instead, they give the second installment to other people. In this way, the number of constructions goes up. However, the functional toilets at ground level remain to be low,” he said.

The study found technical issues in toilet’s construction as well.

“Due to lack of proper know how, the construction is not apt. We discovered that where a pit of 3 to 4 feet is needed, the villagers are getting 12 feet deep pits dug with a hope that the toilets would last longer, which is wrong,” said Paul.

He emphasised on capacity building of masons to enable proper constructions and also of people to be able to use toilets properly.

The study also focused on the budget needed to meet the sanitation standards.

“UP needs ₹46,820 crore to complete its sanitation project. This includes budget for constructing toilets (₹23.80 crore), ensuring proper water supply (₹10.38crore) and construction of bathrooms (₹12.70 crore),” he said.

The districts where the study was conducted include Kanuur, Lucknow, Sultanpur, Maharajganj, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra. Akash Deep, director, Swatchha Bharat Mission, said that 21 villages in UP had been declared open defecation free (ODF).

However, he showed concern over the 12,000 defunct toilets across the state that were built under the government scheme in the past.

“We do not have any provision under the government scheme to ensure more finances to get those toilets functional. This is a big challenge,” he said.