The “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” (Clean India Mission) is aimed at ending open defecation entirely by October 2, 2019 — birthday of India’s independence hero and sanitation crusader Mahatma Gandhi.
The multi-billion dollar campaign combines raising awareness, providing subsidies for making latrines, and communal naming and shaming of those still relieving themselves in the open.
‘Good-morning squads’
UNICEF, one of the many global organisations that has been supporting the Indian mission, has embarked on a mass awareness campaign in the remotest corners to insist “poo must go to the loo”.
“We actually showed them how the flies sitting on stool were then sitting on their water and food,” said Rushabh Hemani, who works for UNICEF in Rajasthan.
“When they learnt how the flies were spreading diseases, they realised the need for covered toilets.”
There were other challenges too.
There were no approach roads to many villages in Dungarpur district, which meant transporting construction material for toilets was a Herculean task.
The ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India Mission) wants to end open defecation entirely by October 2 2019, birthday of India’s independence hero and sanitation crusader Mahatma Gandhi
The villagers, led by Laxman Damor — a former soldier and Kokila’s father-in-law — then did what they knew best. They started building the road by themselves, using hoes, pickaxes and other basic tools.
“Once the road was built, we used camels to bring up sacks of cement and tiles,” said Laxman as he stood outside his toilet, the door scribbled with a slogan promoting hygiene.
Store room
But an Indian parliamentary report released in March red-flagged concerns over the rush to build toilets without making sure they were being used for the right purpose.
Often villagers construct a toilet but end up using it as a store room.
In order to motivate people to use the toilet, teams of government employees and volunteers roam villages to publicly shame those who relieve themselves in the open.
Armed with torches and whistles, the so-called “good-morning squads” try to catch offenders red-handed during their early morning patrols.
“We mean no harm. This is the only way,” said Kokila Damor, who revels in the unusual task.
“It’s only through fear that you can stop people from defecating outdoors.”