Bihar has miles to go on sanitation: UN expert

PATNA: The challenge of achieving the target of open defecation-free (ODF) villages in Bihar is colossal. It’s a must for menstrual hygiene and to save human resources from going waste due to poor sanitation, resulting in illness. Despite some “islands of success” in the field, the need is to bring collective behavioural changes at village level, feels Chris Williams, executive director of Geneva-based Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (a UN body).
Chris, who met CM Nitish Kumar here on Friday, told TOI his organization is working through the Global Sanitation Fund (GSF), India chapter, in six districts of Bihar (Gopalganj, West Champaran, Nalanda, Banka, Madhubani and Maner in Patna).
“The state government has agreed to work together with us in three more districts – Buxar, Bhojpur and Patna, along the bank of the Ganga. The GSF, through Natural Resource Management Consultant (NRMC), its executing body, has already covered 2,000 out of the targeted 5,000 villages and made 150 villages free from open defecation,” Chris claimed.
The UN body expert said Bihar CM is aware of the roadblocks in executing the plan, like poor monitoring of implementation and programme design, insufficient funds, abuse of subsidy and not reaching the end users fast, etc. “Nitish is harbinger of behavioural changes in state. His bicycle scheme for rural schoolgirls is an example. He is committed to changing the people’s preference for open defecation and ready to prepare them for collective responsibility like hand washing and basic hygiene issues,” Chris said.
“Bihar is late in (starting) sanitation drive but its achievements in the last two years are radical. The CM also appreciated the work being done on this front by the Modi government,” he remarked.
“The need is to enable people to access sanitation schemes, institutional strengthening and capacity building, stakeholders’ coalition building and learning. We are trying to do that through changes in social norms. No one asks you to put off shoes outside temple or mosque. Likewise, the importance of sanitation and hygiene should be ingrained in people’s mind,” said GSF team leader in India, Anand Shekhar.