Coercion used for toilet construction: survey

The News

• According to a study on open defecation in 4 northern Indian states, the increase in the number of toilets constructed has not proportionately translated into reduction in open defecation.

Background

• The Research Institute for Compassionate Economics (RICE) spearheaded the study named “Changes in open defecation in rural north India between 2014 and 2018”.
• In the study the researchers conducted an outcome studied of the impact of Swacch Bharat Mission in 4 states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• The study included survey of over 9,812 people and 156 government officials in 2018.

Key Findings

Construction of Toilets has not translated to reduction in open defecation

• According to the survey, the toilet ownership in the states under study increased from 37% in 2014 to 71% in 2018.
• However 44% of them still defecate in the open.
• In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh 53% and 25% respectively were estimated to be defecating in the open.
• Further about 23% of those who own a latrine still defecated in the open, a figure that has remained unchanged since 2014.
• 40% of households with latrine and 56% of all households had at least one family member defecating in the open.
• In conclusion, while the stress is on latrine construction, use of latrines is not.

Failure of Swacch Bharat Mission in bringing about behavioural change

• The study indicated that self-constructed toilets are more likely to be used
• According to estimates, households that built their own latrines were 10% more likely to use them than others.
• While 12% of all respondents reported coercion in their own households, 56% were aware of some coercion in their village
• The coercive methods used toilet construction included fines, threat of denial of benefits, stopped from open defecation.
• Further the Adivasis, Dalit households were more likely to face coercion.
• This shows that the idea of purity-pollution is still rampant in India and thus the failure of community-led action plan like SBM.
• Further Hindu households with latrines were more likely to defecate in the open than Muslim households.
• This could be because Hindu households with smaller pits require frequent emptying which is associated with ‘caste impurity’.

Manually-Scavenged single pits are still preferred

• About 40% had single pits, while twin pits were observed in only 25% of latrines.
• Only 31% of the latrines had a containment chamber which is the most expensive of all toilet designs.

Problem with the study

• The main issue raised by The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation is the survey’s sample size and definitions.
• Accordingly the study does not reflect the ground reality.
• While Swacch Bharat Mission covers a population of nearly 5 crore households and 2.3 lakh villages in the four States, the survey was only based on 1,558 households in 157 villages.
• The community action such as sanctions on open defecation from local level bodies like Nigrani Samitis and Gram Panchayat may not be considered as coercion.