Meghalaya enters second phase of Swachh drive

After achieving its tar get of becoming an  open defecation free (ODF) state under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in January 2018, Meghalaya has moved to the second phase of the cleaning drive with a target of making 2,347 villages across the 11 districts free from solid and liquid waste in a year’s time.“We are planning to make 2,347 villages free from solid and liquid waste in a year under ODF ‘plus’ and ODF ‘sustainability’, which is the next stage of the Swachh Bharat Mission in Meghalaya aimed at sustaining the ODF status,” A Lyngkhoi, state coordinator of SBM (Gramin), Meghalaya, told The Shillong Times.According to the baseline survey carried out in 2012, there are about 4.28 lakh households and 6,028 villages across 11 districts in the state. The criterion for the state to become ODF is that every household should have a toilet. “We have termed the activities under ODP Plus as solid and liquid resource management, which also involves recycling of non-biodegradable waste or its utilisation in road construction,” Lyngkhoi said. SBM, Meghalaya, for its part, has started the ODF verification process in April in accordance with the guidelines of the central government. Verification is mandatory within three months of a state becoming ODF and is done to not only substantiate the achievement but also to ensure that the toilets are used and hygiene parameters adhered to by villagers. “There was a two-month delay in the verification process in Meghalaya, owing to the Assembly elections in February. This is a three-month process during which stakeholders, such as NGOs and the health, education and social welfare departments are taken on board,” he said. “We plan to complete the process in all the 11 districts by the end of June. This is being carried out simultaneously with activities under the second phase of SBM,” the state coordinator said.Asked whether there was any difficulty faced in the implementation process, he listed South Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills as the districts where accessibility to interior areas was a problem.“Most of the villages in these districts are either far off from or not linked properly with the main centres. As a result, transportation of construction material for setting up toilets was difficult,” he said.Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are among the 11 states and union territories in the country to be declared ODF till date. In fact, Sikkim became India’s first ODF state in December 2008, long before Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in 2014.The Centre plans to make the entire country ODF by October 2, 2019.