It is no surprise that the toilets built under different centrally sponsored programmes have failed to take off in Meghalaya. There are several reasons. Every programme must be preceded by social mobilisation. People should themselves be demanding toilets as a matter of right instead of Government pushing them to construct one. The amount of subsidy provided by the Government is insufficient for constructing the conventional toilet with septic tanks et al. Besides, these type of toilets consume a lot of water which is a scarce commodity in the rural areas. Wherever toilets have been forced on people it is seen that they are used for everything else except for the purpose intended. When drinking water itself is hard to come by, how can people spare water to throw into their toilets? Wherever the jungle provides cover people still use them as a natural hub for their ablutions. At times a simple hole is dug in the ground and the top is covered with cheap tin material.
Experiments have meanwhile been conducted in Myrdon Village, Ri Bhoi where bio-digesters are being used to convert the faeces turned into manure. Here septic tanks are no longer required. This reduces the cost of building a toilet. Another advantage is that not much water is required in such toilets. This is the model that needs to be promoted across Meghalaya. Up to this point these bio-digester toilets are being treated as a pilot project. Indeed scientific innovations are the need of the hour. Rampant defecation is one of the root causes of diseases like Dysentery, Diarrhoea, Typhoid etc., Much of our water bodies in Meghalaya contain high levels of pollutants and faecal matter. This is borne out by a study conducted by the World Bank some years ago. Nothing much has changed between then and now. Toilets are still not a priority in the rural areas of Meghalaya. In the urban areas, the septic tanks flow directly into public drains and water bodies. These are dangerous practices but the Government seems ill inclined to tackle the issue head-on. It is now the onus of the Dorbar Shnong to ensure that all their residents not only construct but also use their toilets. This is the single most important step in achieving Swacch Bharat.