J&K achieves another milestone
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 23: The UT of J&K has achieved another milestone of declaring 6000 Villages as ODF Plus in the Aspiring category. This has been possible due to strong leadership and support provided at each level. These villages are sustaining their ODF Plus status and have systems in place for managing Solidor Liquid waste.
These villages have progressed beyond constructing and using toilets to attain cleanliness and adequate sanitation in their villages, hence moving from ODF to ODF Plus. In their efforts to ensure that all the villages have minimal litter and adequate system in place to manage waste, the Directorate of Rural Sanitation, department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, has taken many initiatives. One such major step in this arena is the initiation of the process of door to door collection in many Panchayats where waste is being collected from HHs for its scientific disposal.
In some areas people have even started paying users charges for the waste collection services being provided to them. The department has also put in place assets at Households and Community level for processing Solid and Liquid wastes.
As of now, the department has created Individual compost Pits= 59407, individual soak Pits= 309558, Community Compost Pits =7138 and Community Soak Pits=20958.
75 number of villages have been declared as ODF Plus Model villages.A number segregation sheds have also been constructed and machinery such as Baling Machines, Shredders have been installed in some of these segregation sheds for scientific processing of waste, Director Rural Sanitation Charandeep Singh said.
He said since SBM (G) is a people’s campaign, IEC Plays an extremely important role for its success. The department in each district is undertaking various activities such as Nukkad nataks, Plog runs, painting competitions, rallies, debates etc, to persuade people to realize their roles and responsibilities in Swachhata Campaign and inform them of the benefits accruing from following the right sanitation practices.
Apart from IEC activities, Capacity building programs are being organized on regular basis at the Divisional, District and Panchayat Level where ToTs have been trained which are further imparting training at Panchayat level on various components of SBM (G).
Elected representatives of Panchayats are taking the lead in their respective Panchayats in the area of sanitation and making constant efforts to enhance people’s involvement to attain the goal of “Sampoorna Swachhata”. PRIsof the UT of J&K who are doing exceptionally good are also being appreciated for their efforts at the national level, Charandeep said.
He said the Department of Rural Sanitation is planning and making efforts continuously in its attempt to make all villages as ODF Plus in Model Category along with ensuring sustainability of assets already created with active involvement of PRIs, general public, youth etc.
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