Context: 

This editorial is based on the news “A critical view of the ‘sanitation miracle’ in rural India” which was published in the Hindu. This article expresses the achievement and challenges of India’s sanitation programs, by mainly focusing on the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G) and its Phase II.

• It highlights the importance of infrastructure development and behavioural change for sustainable sanitation practices.

Rural Sanitation in India

• Improvement: In the past decade, improving sanitation coverage has been observed. 
• SDG 6: Access to water and sanitation is Goal 6 in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals envisaged by the United Nations. 
• Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP): Public sanitation programmes began with the launch of the CRSP in 1986. 
• Total Sanitation Campaign: The Campaign in 1999 marked a shift from a high subsidy regime to a low subsidy one and a demand-driven approach. 
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G): The public sanitation programme evolved as a mission in 2014 under the SBM-G to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by October 2019.

India’s Achievement Towards Rural Sanitation

• Sanitation Coverage: It increased from 39% in 2014 to 100% in 2019.
• Toilets Construction: Around 10 crore toilets were constructed between 2014 and 2019 during the initial phase of the SBM-G.
• ODF Plus: The government aims to transform India from ODF to ODF Plus by 2024-25. Around 85% of villages in India have become ODF Plus. 

Key Issues In Rural Sanitation

• Gap between Access and Usage: 12% per a national survey don’t use toilets despite access
  • Reasons: Dysfunctional toilets, pits filled, water shortage, social norms, etc.
• Household Size and Social Norms Barriers: Larger families less likely to use toilets and caste hierarchy also influences adoption. 
  • Sanitation behaviour also varies across socio-economic classes. NARSS-3 finds that access to toilets was highest for upper castes (97%) and lowest for Scheduled Castes (95%).
• Limitations remain in SBM Phase II: No focus on overcrowding, water access, countering taboos. 
  • Uniform approach irrespective of region and demographics.
• Sanitation Contingent on housing, water, social conditions.
  • But schemes work in silos leading to suboptimal outcomes
• Lack of Synergy: Despite high levels of expenditure in fulfilling basic needs, uncoordinated programs undermines efficiency in achieving collective behavioural change.
  • The behavioural change in sanitation cannot happen independently. It is contingent upon social networks and an overall improvement of living standards, including better housing and access to basic services. 

Way Forward to Rural Sanitation Programmes

• Identification of Shortcomings: The Indian government needs to identify the shortcomings in the existing programme.
• Work upon Infrastructural & Behavioral Patterns: and need to work upon infrastructural and behavioural patterns if it wants to transform India from open defecation free to open defecation free-plus status by 2024-25.
• Coordination & Cooperation: There is a need for more and enhanced coordination and cooperation among all associated stakeholders by focusing basic needs.
• Targeted Interventions: To address disparities in access and usage across regions and socio-economic groups.
• Monitoring & Evaluation: Continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure sustained usage of sanitation facilities.