Shades of pit emptying

A Sanitation Worker 

Swachh Bharat Mission has entered into year 3 of its implementation since its commencement on 2nd October 2014. The momentum has been unprecedented with 3 states and 95 districts already declared open defecation free. The current leadership has shown its resolve to finish the last miles and declaring those three states ODF.

Dry toilet, A Sanitation Worker

It looks like the administrative energy is converging well with political ambition of our Prime Minister. There is right buzz around the country fighting with this stigma of defecating in the open. Buzz is in right earnest and there is hardly any space which is not discussing this issue. Even joke factory is churning jokes around....." "खायेगा इंडिया तभी तो शौचालय जायेगा इंडिया" many more.

The year has also been noteworthy one of the Padma award going though posthumously to Mr. Mapuskar- one of the great sanitation worker who was also a doctor who truly believed in power of good sanitation contributing to good health. http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/padma-shri-to-dr-mapuskar-swachhta-doot-from-dehu-village-4491728/

Mr. Iyer, Secretary, GoI, 2017

Last week has seen some dramatic visuals of sincerity coming to media for public consumption- the highest level of bureaucrats emptying filled pit. This would contribute towards fight stigma around handling manures from filled leach pits. This job has been traditionally considered impure and a certain section of society were engaged in doing so. This is still continuing and they are really living on the margins of the society. Despite the relative benefits of leach pit technology, the defining feature of Indian social system- caste system working on the binary of purity and pollution always came on the way of it. People preferred septic tank technology over this due to their inherent unwillingness not touching shit with their hands.

Prof. Robert Chambers in India 2015

Mr. Navrekar, Maharashtra, 2016

There has been earlier instances of demonstrating pit emptying by other sanitation champions notably Mr. Shrikant Navrekar and many others. This act by officials and champions looks like working straight on recommendations in the text book.

Not long ago, writing on the occasion of 1st anniversary week of SBM campaign Dr. Robert Chambers called for two thrusts--- making a spectacles of emptying filled leach pits by politicians, officials, spiritual leaders and other important members in the society to dispel myths around handling shit. / http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/whose-campaign/ He did demonstrated the same a year ago or so during his visit to India, but that didn't had the same media space. 

However, one very critical group which was recommended- politicians are hardly been in the frame. In the first few months of SBM, politicians with broom was the daily soap opera. Media had stories and counter stories around those being photo ops. Looks like politicians are to still muster the courage to do so. However, if they decide to do so, this could be game changer.

Mr. Bala,  Mission Director for Bihar, 2017

Most of these examples were coming from states in south or western India. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, while the traditional system has stronger roots but there are very limited space for such demonstration. Leach pit toilets which was considered "Sarkari toilets" hardly had any acceptance and use by people. Therefore, getting a filled, well manured pit is hard to find.  

 * Pictures are randomly picked from internet. No permission requested.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in blogs are personal and no way represents views of the organizations that I work with or worked with in the past.