Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), has released the Revised Swachh Certification Protocols for ODF, ODF+, ODF++, and Water+ certifications. It was held at NirmanBhavan in New Delhi and was hosted by Shai Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and attended by officials from States/UTs, Cities, and sector partners.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made eradicating open defecation a national development priority in his maiden Independence Day address in 2014. Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary was chosen as the day when all Indian cities and towns would become 100% Open Defecation Free (ODF). Through increasing awareness among citizens and improving sanitation, the first phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban succeeded in achieving this target and 100% of urban India was declared Open Defecation Free. The Mission goes beyond making urban India ODF.
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0
The SBM-U program has helped India write a successful sanitation story that is a fitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s “Clean India” vision. In the seven years since the Mission launched, lakhs of citizens, especially women, children, and divyangs, have been helped. To sustain these sanitation gains, we have to keep moving toward new goals. The revamped revised protocol aligns with SBM-2.0 objectives and aims to:
No untreated used water or faecal sludge is discharged into the environment and all used water (including sewerage and septage, grey water and black water) is safely contained, transported, and treated, along with maximum reuse of treated used water, in all cities with less than 1 lakh population.
To sustain open defecation free status in all statutory towns.
It contains provisions to encourage cities to have robust infrastructure with reliable Operation &Maintenance (O&M) mechanisms to achieve the goal of clean urban India. Key interventions against each certification are:
ODF – Robust monitoring mechanism ensured by increasing the number of survey sample size and location types.
ODF+ – Focus on functionality of CT/PT and innovative O&M business model for their sustainability in long run.
ODF++ – Emphasis on mechanized cleaning of septic tanks and sewers. Safe collection & treatment of used water as well as safe management of faecal sludge.
Water+ – The focus is on collection, transportation, treatment, and reuse of both used water and faecal sludge to prevent environmental pollution. (1) For towns having population more than 20,000, a minimum of 25% households to be connected to sewerage network. (2) Striving to achieve sustainability. (3) No untreated used water is let out in the environment.
While launching the Revised Swachh Certification Protocols, Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, emphasized on the need for certification processes to constantly evolve. This is to become more comprehensive. He said, “the evolution of a Protocol is a continuous process, and we are committed to moving forward with a simplified process. The Revised Swachh Certification Protocols is more functionality-oriented and has been simplified for officials and citizens to understand it better. The purpose of the protocol is not only to improve rankings of cities but to motivate cities to achieve the spirit of the Mission.”
