Recasting sanitation with urban-rural partnerships, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• The Swachh Bharat Mission, launched in 2014, aimed to provide every Indian household with a toilet, achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status for all villages.
• SBM-G Phase II focuses on ODF Plus, addressing solid and liquid waste management, behavioral change, and safe sanitation service chains.
• As of October 2025, over 5.68 lakh villages (97% of India) have been declared ODF Plus, but faecal sludge management remains a critical gap.
• Satara district, Maharashtra, is pioneering urban-rural partnerships by linking villages to the Satara city faecal sludge treatment plant.
• Villages like Mayani are developing cluster-level faecal sludge treatment plants to serve surrounding rural areas.

Detailed Insights:

• The success of the Swachh Bharat Mission has shifted focus to managing faecal waste from septic tanks and pits in rural households.
• ODF Plus aims to sustain sanitation outcomes through comprehensive waste management and behavioral changes.
• Maharashtra is investing in faecal sludge treatment plants in urban areas and encouraging co-treatment in sewage treatment plants.
• Satara's urban-rural partnership allows villages to access the city's treatment plant through scheduled desludging services funded by a sanitation tax.
• Mayani is developing a cluster-level faecal sludge treatment plant under SBM-G to serve approximately 80 surrounding villages.
• These models promote collaboration between urban and rural governments, private and public actors, and citizens for sustainable sanitation services.
• Scaling up these initiatives can transform rural communities nationwide, ensuring long-term sanitation gains and environmental protection.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM): A national campaign for cleanlines, hygiene and sanitation in India.
• Open Defecation Free (ODF): The termination of fecal-oral transmission, defined as: 1) the use of a toilet, and 2) safe disposal of feces.
• Faecal Sludge Management: Safe collection, transportation, and treatment of faecal sludge from septic tanks and pits.
• Gram Panchayat: A village-level local self-government in India.