Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U 2.0) across the country.The issue of open defecation has once again garnered attention following the recent release of the Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) report on water, sanitation, and hygiene by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the year 2022. The report stated that approximately 17% of the total population in India continues to practice open defecation.
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban
- Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) was launched on October 2, 2014, by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as a national campaign to promote cleanliness, sanitation, and proper waste management in urban areas.
- It aimed to make cities and towns across India clean and free from open defecation.
- Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 1.0:
- The first phase of SBM-U focused on achieving the target of making urban India ODF by providing access to toilets and promoting behavioral change.
- SBM-U 1.0 was successful in achieving the target and 100% of urban India was declared ODF.
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (2021-2026)
- SBM-U 2.0, announced in Budget 2021-22, is the continuation of SBM-U first phase.
- The second phase of SBM-U aimed to go beyond ODF to ODF+, and ODF++, and focus on making urban India garbage-free.
- It emphasized sustainable sanitation practices, waste management, and the promotion of a circular economy.
Achievements
Open Defecation Free (ODF)
- Urban India has become Open Defecation Free (ODF), with all 4,715 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) completely ODF.
- 3,547 ULBs are ODF+ with functional and hygienic community and public toilets, and 1,191 ULBs are ODF++ with complete faecal sludge management.
- 14 cities are certified Water+, which entails treatment of wastewater and its optimum reuse.
Waste Processing
- Waste Processing in India has gone up by over 4 times from 17% in 2014 to 75% in 2023, aided through 100% door-to-door waste collection in 97% wards and source segregation of waste being practised by citizens across almost 90% wards in all ULBs in the country.
Garbage Free Cities
- The Garbage Free Cities(GFC)-Star rating protocol launched in January 2018 has increased from only 56 cities in the first year to 445 cities till date, with an ambitious target of having at least 1,000 3-star GFC by October 2024.
- The 2023-24 budget has reinforced India’s commitment to building a circular economy through an enhanced focus on scientific management of dry and wet waste.
Open Defecation Free Status
- ODF: An area can be notified or declared as ODF if at any point of the day, not even a single person is found defecating in the open.
- ODF+: This status is given if at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating and/or urinating in the open, and all community and public toilets are functional and well maintained.
- ODF++: This status is given if the area is already ODF+ and the faecal sludge/septage and sewage are safely managed and treated, with no discharging or dumping of untreated faecal sludge and sewage into the open drains, water bodies or areas.