Bihar digs 110,000 toilet pits in a day

With statistics showing around 16.5 million households in the state still do not have toilets, a remote district in Bihar has set a record by digging 110,000 toilet pits in a single day.

The idea is part of an ongoing campaign to make people know the importance of sanitation.

The district that achieved the rare feat is Sitamarhi.

Authorities said thousands of villagers joined the massive campaign launched by the local administration to dig toilet pits in their homes on Monday, during which a total of 110,000 toilet pits were dug in between 9am and to 5pm.

District magistrate role

The campaign nicknamed “Dig Out Pits, Construct Toilets” received massive support of the villagers after the local district magistrate Ranjit Kumar Singh personally got involved and urged residents dig pits to help declare their district “open-defecation free”.

“This is a major step towards freeing this historic district from the dirty tag of open defecation. We salute the zeal of the masses,” the district magistrate told the media on Monday evening.