On Ground Study of the ODF Status of Ghaziabad District, U.P.
141
open drain. Garbage and filth can be seen all around in most informal settlements
and people are known to fall sick frequently.
The Swachh Bharat Guidelines published by the Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation in 2017 lay emphasis on Anganwadis and their impact on the success of
the Swachh Bharat Mission. To facilitate behavioral change, it is mentioned in the
guidelines that separate sanitary facilities for girls and boys should be there in all
Anganwadis. There should be a proper water provision inside the Anganwadi toilet
for the benefit of the children. Swachhagrahis should be trained and employed by
them for spreading information about the SBM.
However, most Anganwadis that were surveyed lacked one or more of these
components.
• Many Anganwadis did not have water provision inside the toilet. They had handpumps nearby or the water was brought from some other external source. The
Anganwadi with a tap did not have water running through it. Soaps were hardly
seen in the toilets.
• No Anganwadi was training swachhagrahis. Some even said that they did not have
separate meetings for spreading the words of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• Separate toilets for girls and boys in some of the Anganwadis were still under
construction.
• Many households responded negatively when asked if any IEC activities (in the
form of meetings, etc.) were conducted by the Anganwadis. Most households did
not know about the Swachh Bharat Mission although they still understood the
importance of using a toilet and cleanliness in general.
There is, in fact, substantial gap in how much the progress of the Swachh Bharat
Mission has been able to transcend to the ground level. Hence there is a lot of scope
for improvement by the district administration. Some of them are as under:
• The lack of toilets in slums should be addressed at the earliest. Inconvenience to
such a large population is a big problem and needs to be tackled. More toilets are
needed and generation of demand for its usage is imperative. Fines are not a viable
solution for making people use toilets.
• IEC activities have to be improved and have to be in more systematic way. A
proper curriculum should be designed for the Anganwadis to teach the children
and parents that includes infant waste disposal and other aspects highlighted in
this report. It is important that these activities are formally looked at by the district
administration. As mentioned by the SBM guidelines, the contributions of these
bodies are the key to SBM success and not just a component.
• A review of the number of people who still do not have access to toilets should
be done, and solutions for their provisions must be made. Giving them temporary
access to public school toilet, in the morning and evening can also be looked at.
• Water and soap availability, especially in Anganwadi, should be of utmost priority
because it is the stepping stone of habit building among the smaller children.
141
open drain. Garbage and filth can be seen all around in most informal settlements
and people are known to fall sick frequently.
The Swachh Bharat Guidelines published by the Ministry of Drinking Water and
Sanitation in 2017 lay emphasis on Anganwadis and their impact on the success of
the Swachh Bharat Mission. To facilitate behavioral change, it is mentioned in the
guidelines that separate sanitary facilities for girls and boys should be there in all
Anganwadis. There should be a proper water provision inside the Anganwadi toilet
for the benefit of the children. Swachhagrahis should be trained and employed by
them for spreading information about the SBM.
However, most Anganwadis that were surveyed lacked one or more of these
components.
• Many Anganwadis did not have water provision inside the toilet. They had handpumps nearby or the water was brought from some other external source. The
Anganwadi with a tap did not have water running through it. Soaps were hardly
seen in the toilets.
• No Anganwadi was training swachhagrahis. Some even said that they did not have
separate meetings for spreading the words of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• Separate toilets for girls and boys in some of the Anganwadis were still under
construction.
• Many households responded negatively when asked if any IEC activities (in the
form of meetings, etc.) were conducted by the Anganwadis. Most households did
not know about the Swachh Bharat Mission although they still understood the
importance of using a toilet and cleanliness in general.
There is, in fact, substantial gap in how much the progress of the Swachh Bharat
Mission has been able to transcend to the ground level. Hence there is a lot of scope
for improvement by the district administration. Some of them are as under:
• The lack of toilets in slums should be addressed at the earliest. Inconvenience to
such a large population is a big problem and needs to be tackled. More toilets are
needed and generation of demand for its usage is imperative. Fines are not a viable
solution for making people use toilets.
• IEC activities have to be improved and have to be in more systematic way. A
proper curriculum should be designed for the Anganwadis to teach the children
and parents that includes infant waste disposal and other aspects highlighted in
this report. It is important that these activities are formally looked at by the district
administration. As mentioned by the SBM guidelines, the contributions of these
bodies are the key to SBM success and not just a component.
• A review of the number of people who still do not have access to toilets should
be done, and solutions for their provisions must be made. Giving them temporary
access to public school toilet, in the morning and evening can also be looked at.
• Water and soap availability, especially in Anganwadi, should be of utmost priority
because it is the stepping stone of habit building among the smaller children.