Jal Shakti Min launches 100-day drive to create more ODF plus villages

New Delhi: The Jal Shakti Ministry started a 100-day campaign -- Sujalam -- as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' on Wednesday to create more ODF plus villages by undertaking waste water management at the village level.

The effort of the campaign would be directed towards achieving the Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus status for villages across the country in an accelerated manner in a short time, the ministry said.

The campaign has started from today i.e. 25th August, 2021, and will continue to run for the next 100 days, it said.

The aim of the 100-day campaign is to create more and more ODF plus villages by undertaking waste water management at village level particularly through creation of one million soak-pits and also other grey water management activities, it added.

The ministry said the campaign will not only build desired infrastructure like soak pits for management of grey water in villages but will also aid in sustainable management of waterbodies.

The disposal of waste water and clogging of waterbodies in the villages or on the outskirts of the villages remain one of the major problems. The campaign would help in management of the wastewater and in turn would help to revive the waterbodies, it said in a statement.

Furthermore, the campaign would boost the momentum of SBMG (Swachch Bharat Mission Grameen) phase II activities through community participation and will increase awareness about ODF-plus activities. Hence ensuring long-term maintenance and sustainability of built infrastructure, the ministry said.

It would use the platform of awareness and behaviour change achieved during the first phase of the SBMG and provide focus for sustaining the same along with achieving the visual cleanliness by the way of SLW Management, the statement said.