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10 Years of SBM

Syllabus: Governance and sanitation

Source: BS

Context:  The Swachh Bharat Mission was launched with great fanfare exactly a decade ago. A little earlier, on August 15, 2014, the Prime Minister had lent his voice to this neglected cause from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

 Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was launched on October 2, 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aiming to eliminate open defecation and improve overall sanitation. The campaign is handled by two ministries:

  1. Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation: Responsible for SBM-Gramin (rural areas).
  2. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: Handles SBM-Urban (urban areas).

Components of SBM:

  1. Open defecation free (ODF) India: Focus on eliminating open defecation.
  2. Toilet construction: Building household, community, and public toilets.
  3. Solid and liquid waste management: Managing both organic/inorganic waste and wastewater.
  4. Behavioral change campaigns: Educating citizens on the importance of cleanliness and sanitation.
  5. ODF+ and ODF++: Focus on sustaining ODF status with proper liquid waste management (ODF+) and sludge management (ODF++).

10-Year Analysis:

Positive outcomes:

  1. Open defecation decline: As of 2019, India was declared ODF with over 10 crore toilets built. [Source: WHO, 2019 Report]
  2. Improvement in health: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 3 lakh deaths due to diarrheal diseases were prevented from 2014-19 due to improved sanitation. [Source: WHO Report]
  3. Infant mortality impact: A Nature study found 60,000 to 70,000 fewer infant deaths annually from 2015-2020 due to SBM’s impact. [Source: Nature, 2023 Study]
  4. Waste management: About 78% of solid waste is now processed, with 97% of urban municipal wards having door-to-door waste collection. [Source: SBM-U Dashboard]
  5. Toilet access: The percentage of households with access to toilets rose from 45% in 2004 to 82.5% in 2019-21. [Source: NFHS 5]

 Challenges:

  1. Persistent open defecation: Despite being declared ODF, 11% of the population still practices open defecation, mostly in rural areas. [Source: World Bank, 2022 Data]
  2. Rural-urban disparity: Urban areas have 95.6% toilet access, while rural regions lag at 76%. [Source: NFHS-5]
  3. Landfill clearance issues: Only 30% of the target to clear legacy landfills has been achieved, with 41% of the waste remediation completed. [Source: SBM-U Dashboard]
  4. Behavioral challenges: Deep-rooted behavioral changes are still a challenge, as toilet usage in certain rural areas remains inconsistent.
  5. Waste processing targets: The goal for processing all waste by 2025-2026 has yet to be fully met, with only partial progress.

Way ahead:

  1. Strengthen behavior change: Intensive campaigns to sustain toilet usage, particularly in rural areas, are essential.
  2. Complete waste processing: Fast-track efforts to clear legacy landfills and improve waste processing systems.
  3. Focus on rural areas: Further investment in rural sanitation infrastructure and behavior change interventions is critical.
  4. Sustained health impact: Continue to link sanitation improvements to health outcomes like reduced infant mortality and general disease reduction.
  5. Community engagement: Encouraging community involvement for better maintenance and sustainability of sanitation initiatives.

Conclusion:

The Swachh Bharat Mission has significantly improved sanitation across India, reducing open defecation and improving health outcomes. A continued focus on behavior change, infrastructure improvements, and health linkages will be key to achieving a cleaner and healthier India.

Insta Links:

  1. SBM

PYQ:

1.   As per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in India, which one of the following statements is correct? (UPSC – 2019)

a)     Waste generator has to segregate waste into five categories.

b)     The Rules are applicable to notified urban local bodies, notified towns and all industrial townships only

c)     The Rules provide for exact and elaborate criteria for the identification of sites for landfills and waste processing facilities.

d)     It is mandatory on the part of the waste generator that the waste generated in one district cannot be moved to another district.

Answer: c)

 

2.     “To ensure effective implementation of policies addressing the water, sanitation and hygiene needs the identification of the beneficiary segments is to be synchronized with anticipated outcomes.” Examine the statement in the context of the WASH scheme. (UPSC – 2017)

3.     How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (UPSC – 2016)