People’s health compromised to claim ODF a success in Gorakhpur

As per the statistics given by the Panchayati Raj department in Gorakhpur, the district has been declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF). The ground reality, however, is a different story altogether.

Gorakhpur: Gorakhpur has been declared an ODF district under the Swaach Bharat Mission (rural). The statistics of the Panchayati Raj department indicate that 5,32,000 toilets have been constructed in the district in the last 7 years. But, the ground reality is completely opposite. In reality, there are still hundreds of villages where toilets have not been constructed and people are forced to defecate in open.

Not only this, the pits made for these toilets are not as per standards. To stop corruption in construction, payments were being made online, but new methods have been devised to bypass this.

Toilets had to be constructed in houses which did not have one as per the baseline survey of 2012. Based on this, claims are being made of 5,32,000 toilets been constructed in the district. The Panchayti Raj officer of the district says that about 18-20 thousand toilets are left incomplete as of now. But, this also proves that places where toilets have to be completed, people are still defecating in the open.

As per the DPRO, there has been a survey in 2018 and another one in recent times, and whoever is left will be provided toilets by 28 February 2020.

The district may have been declared ODF, but people are still forced to defecate in open. As per the data of the office of the Panchayati Raj, 5,32,163 toilets have been constructed between 2013-2019. Out of these, the maximum, 2,65,750 were constructed in 2017-18. During 2018-19, 1,99,077 toilets were made and the beneficiaries were also given assistance of 12000 rupees.

Jokhu Paswan, the representative of the village head of Khorabar says that his village is ODF, and new toilets have been given only to those who did not have one.

Villagers say that they have been given Government assistance of Rs 12000 but, to construct a good quality toilet they had to shell out money from their own pockets. DPRO says that the toilets have been made as per the guidelines of the Central Government. The toilets are in V shape and tiles have been put to maintain cleanliness and the distance between two pits has been kept as per the standards prescribed.

As per the investigation of ETV Bharat, toilets in the Khorabar village looked to be made as per standards, but many people could still be seen to defecate in the open. The womenfolk in the village is happy about these household toilets.

DPRO says that whenever there have been complaints of irregularities in the construction and maintenance of these toilets, the persons responsible are reprimanded.

The real risk, however, is keeping the toilet unclean and not constructing them as per standards can expose the people using them to many diseases.

Shalini Singh, a senior doctor says that people can get infected with Hepatitis B and E. Many water-borne infections can also infect people. This exposes people especially women to the threat of UTI infection.

As of now precautions for cleanliness are being observed. People are seen to be aware of it, but to say that it has been completely implemented in the rural locations would be far from reality. Despite the fact that the Government statistics are claiming of 100% success rate.