Scavanging might be coming to end in Badun in western UP

Although legally the practice of cleaning dry latrines and transporting human excreta has been banned in India since 1993, the practice continues in some parts of the country. In Badaun in western Uttar Pradesh, a survey done by the district administration this July showed 60,000 dry latrines were still being used in the district. These were manually cleaned by scavengers – most of whom are women – and regarded as ‘untouchables’.

Over the last three months the district administration has made massive efforts to convert all dry toilets to pour-and-flush – a simple technology that involves connecting the seat to a soak pit using pipelines.

In Uttar Pradesh, 67% households have no toilet facilities with the figure going up to 84% in rural areas. In Badaun, since July this year, funds to the tune of Rs 5 crores have been released under the Total Sanitation Campaign – the Government’s flagship programme – to convert 35,000 dry latrines. Of these, 16,000 are ready and the rest under construction. The target is to convert the remaining 25,000 before the end of the year. District Magistrate Amit Gupta’s leadership and commitment has been enormous.

Over the last few months 1600 scavengers have been rehabilitated through benefits under various government schemes such as BPL card, NREGA, pension schemes etc.

Badaun is one of the ‘hotspot’ districts for polio eradication: Of the 66 blocks in Uttar Pradesh identified as high-risk for polio, 16 lie here. Says Amit Mehrotra, water and sanitation specialist, UNICEF: “Since polio spreads through the faeco-oral route, it is important to prevent drinking water contamination with faecal matter and end open defecation. Safe disposal of faeces – which means that no one should be able to touch, see or smell it – is critical. Since all of this happens in a dry latrines, converting these are an urgent priority.”

The winds of change are strong and hopefully, finally, the inhuman practice of manual scavenging is close to an end.

For complete story read: http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/oct/hlt-badaun.htm