Swachh Bharat Mission in Reverse Gear in Diglipur Open Defecation on Kalpong River banks continue unabated

D J Venkatesh
Port Blair, Mar 17: While the civic body has pledged itself to make Port Blair an Open Defecation Free City as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the insanitary practice continues unabated in several pockets in Diglipur, North Andaman. The village most plagued by the menace is Naveen Nagar where large people can be seen defecating in the open along the banks of Kalpong river.
Constructing toilets in their homes doesn’t appear to be priority for some of the Naveen Nagar villagers even as the Andaman Public Works Department and the District Administration have been ignoring the insanitary practice for decades.
According to reports, large number of the habitation in Naveen Nagar area is on encroached land and villagers reside in houses without toilets. Ironically, open defecation in the area is predominant near the Pumping Station to the treatment plant from where water is supplied to various parts in Diglipur.
Though rules prohibit open defecation under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013, the administration for unknown reasons has so far failed to impose the act in the area which poses a serious sanitation and health hazard for thousands of people of Diglipur.
“As a large number of population in Naveen Nagar resides in houses constructed in encroached land, they don’t consider constructing toilets at homes as important. Open defecation along the sides of Kalpong river has been continuing for decades, but no action has been taken against such people. Moreover, poverty and lack of awareness among the villagers are among other reasons behind in the insanitary practice in the area. Such open defecation near a water body that caters to thousands of residents of Diglipur is a serious health hazard and the administration should take immediate steps to address it,” said some Diglipur residents.
The government has a target to make India “Open Defecation Free” by 2019 and UNICEF India is a key partner in the flagship programme, Swachh Bharat Mission. At a time when the Port Blair Municipal Council is working on mission-mode to make the city Open Defecation Free, the District Administration of the North and Middle Andaman Region should collaborate with Panchayats of North Andaman to sensitize people on the importance of sanitation and motivate them to construct toilets in their homes.