Swachh Bharat Mission was launched on October 2, 2014 on Gandhi Jayanti by the government. The goal was to eradicate open defecation? by constructing 90 million toilets in rural India at a projected cost of Rs 1.96 lakh crore.
Now, a recent study by UNICEF has found out that the Swachh Bharat Mission has led to a reduction in groundwater contamination in India.?
BCCL/Representational Image
The study is based on reports from three states - Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar - from where groundwater samples were collected. According to the study, groundwater samples from these states suggested that villages where open defecation was prevelant were 11.25 times more likely to have their groundwater sources contaminated with faecal matter, as compared to open-defecation-free villages.
Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on Wednesday said cleanliness affects all aspects of the environment as well as health and well-being of the communities in Open Defecation Free (ODF) regions.
AFP
He also said that a WHO study conducted in 2018 had estimated that the Swachh Bharat mission will save over three lakh lives by the time India is open defecation free.
The study done by UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation garnered a lot of attention on World Environment Day.?
AFP
It is always good to see tangible results for genuine efforts that have gone into improving something. However, this should be seen as the first step towards curing the planet of the diseases we have inflicted upon it, and not as the ultimate goal after which efforts cease.?