Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)

Public Health Engineering Department, Manipur *

The Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) was launched on 2nd October 2014 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, which aims to provide safety, security and convenience, especially for women and children, by eliminating the shameful habit of open defecation across the country.

Manipur Rural sanitation coverage increased from 52% to 100% of households between 2014 and mid-2018 with the behavioral change program under Swachh Bharat Mission and achieving the seemingly impossible task of making a people’s movement at the grass-root level.

Manipur was declared as the 23rd Open Defecation Free (ODF) State on 2nd October, 2018, by constructing 4,51,566 nos. of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs). In addition to these, 102 Community Sanitary Complexes were also constructed, achieving the status, one year ahead of the National deadline with full support and guidance from the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri N Biren Singh.

Under SBM (G) Phase-I, construction of cent percent IHHLs for achieving ODF status at the Hill districts were seemed to be almost next to impossible, particularly at the far-flung areas and other extreme border villages which were not motorable and accessible but with maximum support and full motivation from our Hon’ble Chief Minister, dedicated district officials (particularly for hill districts) were actively engaged and involved even in manual labour work including loading and unloading of the construction materials where they are compelled to visit only by Shaktiman (truck) vehicle, in many cases walking miles by foot and spending a week’s time in different far-flung villages.

The mission was popular and interesting, resulting in it becoming a Jan Andolan, in that short period where all the age groups were actively involved. It is pertinent to mention that a team of students from Don Bosco College, Maram, Manipur bagged the 1st position and 3rd position at the National Level in Swachh Bharat Summer Internship (SBSI) program (university/college Category) 2018 and 2019 consecutively.

The team leader was honored by the Prime Minister of India on 2nd October, 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

During the fortnightly observance of the Nationwide campaign 'Swachhta hi Seva' (SHS)from 2017 till 2019, the State has carried out the campaign in both the hills and valley region to the fullest with support from the communities, frontline workers, Swachhagrahis, volunteers, Ministers, MLAs, Government Departments, organizations and private bodies.

For 'Swachhta hi Seva' (SHS) 2019, on the theme “No to single-use plastic”, ton of plastic wastes were collected and handed over to the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) for Road Construction.

In addition, 2556 ODF boards and 10,224 wall paintings have been put up at prominent places, covering all the GPs and villages along with 100% Geo-tagging.

Under SBM (G) Phase II, four projects on ‘Solid Waste Management Plant’ at Senapati, Bishnupur, Imphal East and Imphal West were installed by CSIR–CMERI (Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute), Durgapur, West Bengal. The Operation and Maintenance for the said plants are taken care by the concerned Gram Panchayats/VWSC/SHGs.

Also, seventeen Plastic Waste Management Units have been constructed in 17 blocks of the State. For Grey water management and Solid Waste Management, Soak Pits (individual/ community), compost pits and waste collection shed were taken up in all the targeted villages.

Seven villages have been declared ODF plus villages and the State has been making efforts to achieve at least 500 villages as ODF plus status by the third quarter of 2022-23.

The Department is working in the same momentum in SBM(G) Phase-II in terms of capacity building, community mobilization, various training programs, mobilization of volunteers, and swachaagrahis (Foot soldiers) despite many challenges of rough terrain and frequent landslides, to make the program a Jan Andolan (People’s Movement) by declaring all the 2556 villages of the State as Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus villages by 2024-25.