The Kozhikode Corporation is reaping the benefits of a work well done, having been conferred with the Swachh Bharat Mission’s ODF+ status. It is the first corporation in the State to achieve the landmark and one of the very few in the country.
ODF+ status is conferred on local bodies with ODF status that have gone beyond it to better their situation with respect to public hygiene, maintenance of public toilets, and construction of public toilets.
The Kozhikode Corporation was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) in 2016. “We had to upgrade some toilets that were in less than sanitary conditions and build only a few new ones, together around 1,500,” said Shajil Kumar P., Health Supervisor of the corporation. But the real task came afterwards.
“We built some new community toilets, renovated a few, but more importantly, ensured that they were maintained well. We had instructed the managements of shopping centres and commercial complexes to ensure that their toilets were clean,” he added.
The corporation also organised awareness campaigns against urinating in public places. The civic body also did well in waste management, as a result of which, people no longer needed to dump waste in public. All these factors worked together to earn the ODF+ status, Mr. Shajil Kumar said.
