52 lakh individual household toilets to come up over the next four years in Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh government has set itself a target of constructing 52 lakh individual household latrines across the state over the next four years. This Chief Minister has directed officials to utilize funds from both the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to this end. The government has initiated the construction of 8 lakh toilets this year, out of which 4 lakh units are complete and ready for use.

 

Amidst all the toilet construction frenzy the country is currently witnessing, a glaring gap has emerged with respect to funding and weightage for crucial aspects like ‘Information, Education and Communication’ and solid-waste management. Data from the Ministry of Urban Development reveals that a mere Rs 89 crore of the total sanction of Rs 942 crore for the urban component of the Swachh Bharat Mission was earmarked for IEC in 2014-15. 

 

Central Pollution Control Board data reveals that all four of Uttar Pradesh’s major rivers - Yamuna, Hindon, Kali and Krishni – are severely polluted with fecal coliform beyond permissible limits. While coliform content should not exceed 2,500 MPN (most probable number), for every 100ml of river water, most places along these rivers reveal staggering numbers such as the 4.5 crore MPN/100ml count in the Hindon at Meerut.

 

The Karnataka government is all set to acquire 1000 acres of land to dump Bengaluru’s waste. Apart from this, the government has approved setting up of three new solid waste processing units in addition to the seven existing ones, out of which five are currently functioning. The city also awaits the setting up of a 'waste to energy' plant with the help of a Dutch firm in order to deal with the mounting garbage crisis. 

 

Despite the initial enthusiasm, it seems that the interest generated by the 'Swachh Delhi' app has already faded out. Technical glitches and the high volume of complaints going unattended has raised questions about the utility of the app. Opponents claim that the app was prepared in haste as a token measure and have blamed political differences to be the main reason behind it apparent failure. 

 

The Ministry of Urban Development has decided to set aside Rs.3,250 crore to decongest the capital and develop it into a truly ‘World Class’ city. Funds from the package will help speed up pending construction and river cleaning work in addition to putting in place basic toilet infrastructure for the urban populace in the capital. Delhi is far behind its target of building 1.25 lakh toilets within the next four years and the package is expected to sort out all funding constraints in this regard.