JAIPUR: Villagers of Abhayapur under Olia gram panchayat in Sukinda block have pledged to make their village open defecation-free. During a workshop held at Abhayapur under the aegis of District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) on Sunday, they were educated on the harmful effects of open defecation.
Trainer of DWSM Anirudha Samantray said open defecation leads to diseases. The money spent on treating the diseases can be used to build toilets.
DWSM Executive Engineer Amiya Bhusan Parija said, “It is unfortunate that while our country is making rapid progress in the field of science and technology, people in rural areas continue to defecate in the open.” A woman has been engaged as motivator to create awareness among villagers about benefits of using toilets, he said.
Each household of the village would be given a cash of `12,000 to construct a toilet under Swachh Bharat Mission, Parija added. The tribal-dominated Abhayapur village consists of three wards and 150 households. The population of the village is around 700.
Ward member Damayanti Singh said villagers decided that they will end open defecation in Abhayapur and create awareness on its detrimental effects.Hundreds of villagers, mostly women, participated in the workshop. Villagers were also awarded certificates on the occasion.