472 villages along Ganges freed from open defecation

Toilets built for a million homes across 12 districts in Bihar

All 472 villages in Bihar located along the banks of the Ganges have been freed from open-defecation. The initiative was part of the government’s move to keep India’s most spiritually sacred river free from pollution.

Authorities said around a million homes in 472 villages across 12 districts located along the banks of the Ganges lacked toilets at homes. This was a major challenge for the government to arrange toilets to all homes but it was achieved finally owing to the continuous efforts by the authorities.

“We are happy to inform that all the homes located on the banks of river Ganga have been arranged toilets. This is a significant step towards checking water pollution and restoring the pristine glory of the river,” rural development minister Shrawan Kumar told the media on Tuesday.

Open defecation by the villagers along the banks of the Ganges was one of the main causes of polluting India’s national river.