DINDIGUL: Poor interest of a majority of beneficiaries in opting for self-construction of latrine and septic tanks remain the primary reason for the delay in the completion of phase two of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in Dindigul district for the last two years.
While phase I of the SBM was carried out through identified vendors across the state, for phase II, the district authorities encouraged villagers to construct the latrines themselves, sources said. According to official records, a total of 18,801 persons applied for Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) under phase two of SBM in Dindigul district.
Among them, 17,276 beneficiaries were allocated funds. However, only 13,734 IHHL were geo-tagged and completed in the past few months, while around 3,546 individual latrine works are pending. Speaking to TNIE, Kottaiyur Panchayat K Senthilvel said the entire village had worked passionately towards making their surroundings open defecation free (ODF), and had welcomed the construction of toilets by vendors during the first phase.
"Though certain issues cropped up, the toilets were constructed by 2020, and it became a symbol of commitment to public health and cleanliness," he said. Even as the mission yielded various positive outcomes including the provision of a sense of dignity and security to women, Senthilvel said, certain villagers were uncomfortable about the size and shape of the toilets, and they began to refrain from using them.
"Hence, local officials painted the toilets to enhance the appearance, and during the second phase, encouraged villagers to construct toilets themselves as per their requirements. While some of them have already constructed it, others are delaying the work," he added. When contacted, a top official from District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) said.
"For SBM phase II, in a bid to to encourage their participation, we motivated the villagers to use individual household latrines along with their septic tank. With this, the villagers could build a septic tank as per their wish, comfort-level and structure of their house.
However, the cost of a septic tank varies from Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000, and under SBM (G), an incentive of Rs 12,000 is available for constructing IHHL units." The official further said, "While the state has the provision to provide the incentive to motivate rural households to build toilets, several villagers are reluctant to come forward, as they have to bear the expense for constructing septic tanks and soak pits. Even amidst this, we are trying to encourage the villagers through our field staff and coordinators for the construction of toilet facilities."