‘Seven cities have tackled faecal sludge’

Seven cities – all in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh – have been certified ODF++, according to the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.

The certification, an extension of the ODF or Open Defecation Free protocol, means that all the faecal sludge and sewage in these cities is treated scientifically before discharge.

“The seven cities are Indore, Khargone, Sahaganj, Ujjain, Bhilai, Rajnandgaon and Ambikapur,” said SBM-U mission director V.K. Jindal.

“These cities have 100% of their faecal matter treated by sewage treatment plants or faecal sludge treatment plants. They are also free of open defecation and open urination, with at least 25% of the community and public toilets in excellent condition.”

These are the first cities to qualify under the government’s new extended protocol to sustain gains made under the basic ODF protocol, he stated. 12 other cities are being assessed, while 533 cities have applied for the certification.

Annual survey

He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Swachh Survekshan 2019, the Mission’s annual cleanliness survey which will rank 4237 cities and towns on their sanitation efforts on the basis of third-party surveys as well as citizen feedback.

The Urban Affairs Ministry is setting up a sub-mission on faecal sludge management under its AMRUT scheme for 500 cities and towns, said Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra.