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MH Khan
Deputy Director (Senior), LBSNAA, Mussoorie
THE Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), launched on October 2, 2014, seeks to end open defecation by 2019, the sesquicentennial year of Gandhi’s birth. The approach essentially has two components: (i) funds for construction of toilets; and, (ii) focus on behaviour change.
The first is more programmatic and in line with the government’s general administrative approach. In the latter, however, there is a recognition that the problem of open defecation cannot be tackled simply through limited institutional mechanisms within the government but through strong focus on community mobilisation. Borrowing from the participatory rural appraisal approach of Robert Chambers, there is a component to initiate triggering within communities to sensitise them about the negative fallouts of open defecation. It integrates social and behaviour change communication elements into the programmatic approach which is now termed as community-led total sanitation approach.
Where are we?
Three years since the campaign began, government statistics show that 5.4 crore new toilets have been constructed in rural areas and 0.4 crore in urban areas. But, no study can state with certainty that the newly constructed toilets are being put to effective use. Researchers have repeatedly warned against the temptation to view the construction of toilets as the end of open defecation because it reflects the tendency to treat outputs (construction of toilets) as outcomes (end of open defecation).
At present, 72 per cent of rural India and over 1,330 cities have been declared open defecation-free. However, the gaming responses of individual beneficiaries and line officials (under pressure to show results) cannot be ruled out. Given the classical problems that both theory and practice of public administration, there must be an objective mid-term evaluation of the SBA at this stage. The target of an ODF India in less than two years is daunting, though the numbers of states and district becoming ODF day by day is a healthy indicator. Since this analysis is based on the data of public toilet construction, it does not touch upon the problem of trash and waste dumping, overflowing drains and fly-tipping which our citizens practice as a matter of right. Proper evidence of these aspects may help in making critical mid-course corrections of SBA and having a more realistic appreciation of the likely success of this initiative.
Probable solutions
1 Make a model swachh pocket: We can start by developing a model Swachh pocket in every urban and rural area by the respective municipality and Gram Panchayat. This can be a role model for other areas and will also instill confidence among the people that this is a doable job. The municipal tax can be increased for every household so that the municipalities which are already under financial crunch may not nip this idea in the bud on this pretext. London charges a hefty council tax from every individual with which it keeps its streets and the neighbourhoods clean.
2 Convert waste to energy: Huge amounts of garbage can be dumped into an incinerator to convert heat into energy. South Korea uses this technology very efficiently to support its need for power. The initial capital cost could be obtained by the PPP mode.
3 Moral teaching in schools: A silent behavioural change can be brought about by having moral teaching in schools curriculum. Till the 1980s, moral science was taught in primary classes, which perhaps the kids of current generation are deprived of. If we emphasise the negatives of open defecation in our primary teaching curriculum, it will definitely have an impact on the psyche of a growing child.
Conclusion
The choices that a diverse country like India faces while solving public administration problems that have strong socio-cultural underpinnings are not easy. Once the PM has thrown his weight behind an idea, the bureaucratic machinery and the public are galvanised in the pursuit of the objective. It is here that the experience of similarly placed countries may help us fashion enduring and less paternalistic strategies to attain the desired outcomes. The use of evidence through objective evaluation studies becomes critical to inform policymakers for mid-course corrections and to make the "policy cycle" a virtuous one.
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