Patna: Together, these four states account for a massive 60 per cent of the people in India who defecate in the open. Unless these states become open defecation-free, the world – and India – cannot meet their ODF (open defecation-free) goals, says a new analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the New Delhi-based research and advocacy body.
According to an UN report of 2014, out of one billion people defecating in open in the world, 60 per cent are from India. While India has resolved to meet its goal in 2019, the world has targeted to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of being open-defecation free by 2030.
Sunita Narain, director general, CSE released the findings of the study here today in a media briefing attended by some selected journalists from the four states. Some highlights of the new study have been featured in Down To Earth Hindi, the Hindi language environment-development monthly which CSE helps publish.
Speaking on the occasion, Narain said: “It is one thing to build toilets, quite another to ensure they’re being used. Besides motivating people to change, concrete steps -- other than those that deter them from defecating in the open -- will have to be taken. These will include repairing / rebuilding unusable toilets, and incentivising behavioural change.”