Need to improve sanitation facilities: Rural Development Minister

According to the report by UNICEF, an estimated 2.6 billion people still remain without proper sanitation making them vulnerable to many diseases which could have been prevented through awareness.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Union Rural Development Minister in a press conference stressed the importance of supplying good quality water and highest priority to sanitation facilities in the International Year of Sanitation.

The minister discussed the outcome of two-day meeting of State Secretaries in charge of rural drinking water supply and sanitation to review implementation of the same and to improve water security and sanitation in rural areas.

He called upon the states to improve community efforts to achieve drinking water security and to come forward to take full responsibility of management and maintenance of water supply schemes and drinking water sources in the villages. He also suggested instituting Sajal Gram Purshkar to encourage people to participate the programmes emulated by the government.

Also under National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance programme 100% funds are granted by the Centre to States in imparting training programmes to 5 persons in each Gram Panchayats to carry out water testing and keep a vigil on water borne disease.

The programme Bharat Nirman got special mention in his talks which addresses six component including drinking water. The programme has been a major success baring few states where implementation is the main issue. Also, under 12th Finance Commission recommendations Rs 20,000 crore has been allocated to Panchayati Raj Institutions in which 50% of the fund is for operation and maintenance of water supply and sanitation.

He also mentioned High Powered Technical Expert Group (TEG) to examine various emerging issues in drinking water and sanitation sector and suggest measures to tackle the new challenges under the Chairmanship of founder Mission Director and ex-Chief of Water & Sanitation, UNICEF, Gourishankar Ghosh.

The Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) taken by states to address the sanitation issue got applaud for increasing the sanitation coverage by 54% in 2008. The minister also directed the states to release fund for the same. The review of the programme has showed that work has been started in 88% of the Panchayats. He also said that awareness and information are keys to successful campaign of TSC.

He hailed Nirmal Gram Purashkar as a unique tool to motivate Gram Panchayat for participating in the sanitation campaign.

He also made a point that States may look into the proposal to debar any person from contesting Panchayat elections if she/he does not have a toilet in his house. Sikkim informed that this direction has already been issued in the State.

The States were also requested to examine proposal of having a toilet in the house a mandatory requirement for selection of PDS dealership.

The minister said that India will host South Asian Ministerial Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) in November 2008 and there is a need to achieve full sanitation coverage and said that the state have been advised to devise statutory and administrative norms in this regard.

Sanitation has become a major problem around the world lack of which claims thousand lives daily. Over one million children under the age of five every year became the victim of poor sanitation, hygiene and unsafe water.