Reviewing the Status of Open Defecation Free ...

Reviewing the Status of Open Defecation Free India

Author Name : Manisha Tripathi, Manoj Mishra

ABSTRACT “Open defecation free” is a phrase first used in community-led total sanitation (CLTS) programs. ODF has now entered use in other contexts. The original meaning of Open defecation free stated that all community members are using sanitation facilities (such as toilets) instead of going to the open for defecation. This definition was improved and more criteria were added in some countries that have adopted the CLTS approach in their programs to stop the practice of open defecation. The Indian Ministry of Drinking and Sanitation has in mid-2015 defined Open defecation free as “the termination of fecal-oral transmission, defined by no visible feces found in the environment or village and every household as well as public/community institutions using safe technology option for disposal of feces”. “Safe technology option” means a toilet that contains feces so that there is no contamination of surface soil, groundwater, or surface water; flies or animals do not come in contact with the open feces; no one handles excreta; there is no smell and there are no visible feces around in the environment which is a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign). In this paper, we will review the current status or one can say peek into the present-day situation of the Open defecation free program based on the data provided by various national agencies.