One state that has made great strides in combating open defecation in India is Himachal Pradesh. Sikkim, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh have been the pioneer states in becoming open defecation free (ODF). Earlier this year, Haryana and Uttarakhand too joined this small list by declaring themselves ODF.

Himachal Pradesh’s journey to ending open defecation is an especially remarkable story and one which other states can learn from. It goes back to 2000 when Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) was first introduced in the northern state. The then state government initiated a framework of a ‘community-led campaign’, which got the community involved in the movement. From the start, the campaign focused on encouraging villagers to build latrines in their households. The goal was to lay out strategies where individual households realised the importance of good sanitation, hygiene and cleanliness.

The campaign provided financial assistance to build toilets, develop sanitation in schools, construct sanitary complexes for women and establish alternative delivery systems. Simultaneously, awareness building was advocated across the state. As a result, people were not only building toilets but also using them. Former chief minister Virbhadra Singh set out to transform the state into ‘Nirmal Himachal’ by December 2010.

The campaign comprised five main objectives. The first one was to enhance the general quality of life in rural places. The second objective was to increase sanitation coverage in rural places to achieve the Nirmal Bharat vision. Third, to encourage communities and Panchayati Raj Institutions through health education and awareness building. The fourth objective was to provide coverage in schools which were not covered under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. It was also to spread the message of sanitary habits and hygiene education among students. Fifth, to build environmental sanitation systems managed by the community. These systems were to focus on solid and liquid waste management in the rural areas.

Special cells were launched at the state, district and block levels to execute the sanitation programmes. The campaign roped in support organisations that helped in the process of community mobilisation. They also helped to educate villagers on sanitation issues. The ultimate aim was to help people rid their centuries-old practice of open defecation. Tangible efforts were made to get the community involved in the NBA programme. Under this strategy, individual household latrines were heavily subsidised.

The sudden increase in the ODF coverage was seen after 2008 when additional efforts were put in by the state government. The NBA programme was given utmost importance after departmental activities were reviewed. Another contributing factor was the various awards and reward schemes such as Mahila Mandal Protsahan Yojna, Construction of Water Harvesting Structures in Schools under MGNREGA and School Reward Scheme. The state developed a robust reporting system which supervised the various activities assumed at different levels each month.

The government’s mission led to substantial results on full sanitation coverage. People began to realise the problems caused by a lack of sanitation and hygiene and started building toilets and using them. Those who could not afford to build toilets were covered by motivational schemes such as Nirmal Gram Puraskar, Maharishi Valmiki Sampoorn Swachata Puraskar and Mahila Mandal Protsahan Yojna. Even the School Sanitation Reward Scheme proved beneficial in stimulating a demand for sanitation by students and teachers.

National goal

Despite having the biggest sanitation budget among developing nations, open defecation is the highest in India worldwide. From time to time, the central government has attempted to combat the country’s prevailing sanitation crisis. In 1986, the government launched the Central Rural Sanitation Programme with the goal of enhancing the quality of life of the rural population. The notion of sanitation was broadened to include home sanitation, personal hygiene, garbage disposal, safe water, waste water disposal and excreta disposal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has set a benchmark for the entire country to achieve ODF status by 2019 under its flagship campaign Swachh Bharat Mission.

“Nationally, the sanitation coverage has increased from 42% to over 64% in just two-and-a-half years since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission,” said a government statement.

While some states have made notable progress in tackling open defecation, others have fallen through the cracks. According to a report commissioned by the non-government Centre for Science and Environment, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh account for 60 per cent of open defecation in India. These states will need to speed up their efforts in order for the government to achieve its cleanliness drive by 2019.