The Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) represents a game-changing chapter in India’s sanitation history, given a long and rich history of innovations and recent governmental interventions. Launched in 2014, by Hon’ble Prime Minister, the mission’s objective was to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF).
This huge venture not only had an astounding mass mobilization across the country, it was the largest behavioral change movement ever. At the end of 2019, SBM-G celebrated the construction of more than 100 million individual household latrines, declared more than 6 lakh villages as ODF ( more than 2.2 million villages were declared ODF in 2019), paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi (he was 150 years old in 2019) and fulfilling the dreams of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6.2.
The outcomes of SBM Phase I were remarkable:-
Health Outcomes:
- According to the WHO, there were 300,000 fewer diarrheal deaths in 2019 than in 2014, due to improved sanitation.-
Economic Benefits: - Families living in ODF villages saved, on average, INR 50,000 as compared to non-ODF villages on health.
Environmental Protection: - There was less contamination in groundwater in ODF villages.
Increased Safety and Protection of Women: - With improved sanitation, 93% of women felt more safe at home.
Following its successes, phase II of SBM-G under the Government of India, launched after 2019’s ODF achievements, will consolidate the ODF status and initiate a capture of solid and liquid waste management in rural India, termed as ‘ Sampoorn Swachhata’. Currently investing Rs. 1.40 lakh crores in SBM-G phase II, and several other government schemes, the mission seeks to improve sewage work and further enhance sanitation infrastructure. In addition to works in infrastructure, SBM-G is promoting novel cleanliness campaigns, for example, Swachhata Green Leaf Rating and Swachhata Hi Seva campaigns, involving millions of people in cleanliness initiatives. With the Light House programme and the launching of a Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) in Kolkata, the mission demonstrates its educational and developmental efforts to inspire and educate other regions to become ODF Plus.
The model of SBM-G should be viewed as a commitment to improving public health and hygiene practices in India, and a stimulus for actionable community change. Additionally, this phenomenal effort involved thousands of millions of citizens and multiple governments of various ministries, departments and programs. Transitioning at national scale from basic sanitation concepts to full sustainable sanitation actions is monumental change and practice for public health in India.
