Total sanitation, waste mgmt among goals of Swachh Bharat

New Delhi: With the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan marking its 10th anniversary, the government is now planning to expand its efforts, focusing not only on eliminating open defecation but also on more comprehensive sanitation and waste management strategies, a senior official has said.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a countrywide campaign initiated by the government in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management and to create open defecation free villages.

Asked about the road ahead, Vini Mahajan, secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, said they are now planning to expand its efforts.

“Sanitation began as a journey to free the country from open defecation, recognising that this practice was a significant curse we needed to eliminate. While progress has been made, there is still an ongoing need to identify families who lack toilets and ensure they receive them. It’s equally important to keep existing toilets functional,” the official said.

She emphasised the importance of catering to specific needs, such as providing accessible toilets for people with disabilities, and highlighted ongoing discussions with state governments to address these nuances. “Behaviour change remains a critical component of the campaign. When the whole government works together to emphasise these points, we see significant changes, which our independent assessments confirm are happening in a sustainable manner,” she added.

The next phase of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan aims to enhance solid and liquid waste management across both urban and rural areas.

The issue of faecal sludge management is being tackled, with efforts being made to ensure that waste from toilets does not end up in open drains, she said. “A lot of work is going into properly managing faecal sludge and setting up treatment facilities like STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) and FSTPs (Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants),” the official said.

In addition, there is a significant push toward better liquid waste management, particularly in terms of grey water reuse and recycling.

Solid waste management is also a key focus, especially

in rural areas. Agencies