How big a challenge is sustaining India's open-defecation free status

Cheering for toilets, with caution

The country did successfully build 100 million toilets, but this success must be made sustainable
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Swachh Bharat Mission: An outstanding achievement, but challenges remain

Including people who still lack toilets, overcoming partial toilet use and retrofitting sustainably unsafe toilets are some of the massive tasks ahead Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Haryana still defiant

The claim of an ODF-free Haryana flies in the face of cases of class division, dysfunctional toilets and administrative inaction Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Nilgiris sets example of community effort

More than 100,000 tribals, dalits and women raised a loan of Rs 20 crore to build toilets, after the incentive of Rs 12,000 per household was found insuffiicient Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: How model villages in Odisha quit ODF

Every household now has an extra toilet, due to SBM. Yet people are forced to defecate in the open because of acute water scarcity Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Women take the lead in Himachal Pradesh

The state, with almost 60% of panchayats headed by women, tackled open defection by resolving the water crisis. It was declared open-defecation free in October 2016 Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Persuasion pays off in Uttar Pradesh

Benda village sets an example by achieving ODF status before the state despite facing a severe drought Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Water shortage drives people in Marathwada to open fields

Maharashtra’s rain-shadow region has had so little rain in the last four years that residents don’t have enough water to flush into toilets Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: The last push

Over 100 million toilets in five years took a lot of effort; the change is showing now Click here to read more

Thirty-year journey to ODF

Sanitation programmes remained a mirage until the government shifted focus to information, education and communication Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission to be a continuing challenge

The fight for open defecation-free status is far from over Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Sustaining ODF a multi-faceted process

Bangladesh took 15 years to become ODF, while Thailand took 40 Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Let the toilet revolution live long

The start has been promising and exciting. Now the challenge is to sustain the ODF tag and ensure that the pollution is checked Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: ‘Inducing behavioural change was a task’

Parameswaran Iyer, secretary, Department of Drinking water and Sanitation, spoke to Down To Earth on how intensive information-education-communication efforts by the Centre and states made India ODF Click here to read more

Swachh Bharat Mission: Sustenance is the mantra

Changing a habit requires time, effort and constant motivation Click here to read more

India

Rural Sanitation

Open Defecation