Ramgarh Swachhta Sangram

Background

In 2014-15, toilet coverage in the district of Ramgarh in Jharkhand was barely 15% and around 98,000 toilets had to be built to provide access to sanitation to all people. Open Defecation was considered to be a traditional and acceptable practice in the district. Due to the influence of the elderly over younger generations, there was a reluctance to accept newer methods of sanitation.

Intervention

In order to improve the sanitation condition of the district, mass mobilisation was taken up, along with large scale awareness programs that helped bridge the gap between the traditional and the modern. Ratri Choupals and Vishrams were organised by District Administration at the village level to address the hurdles in making villages ODF. The District Officials went to the villages and Panchayats, and stayed there for the whole night having dinner with the community. Officials discussed the ill-effects of open defecation and its consequences on the community. Lota Pani, Swachhta Shapath and Swachhta Shaniwar are some traditional ways to motivate the local population to move towards construction and use of toilets.

Impact

It was an ideal opportunity for the district to showcase their commitment to the Swachh Bharat Mission. Ramgarh achieved ODF status on 6th April 2017. A total of 77,000 IHHLs were constructed during the 10-month campaign. 125 Panchayats and 326 Villages were declared ODF and more are being added. Quality toilets with RCC roofs were constructed and people are readily using them. A big change has been observed in the community behavior towards open defecation. PRI members and community leaders have come forward for ODF monitoring and sustainability.

Source : Aspirational Districts for WEB