PANJIM: While Goa government has conceded that around 70,000 households in the State do not have toilets, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has confirmed that none of the two districts in Goa are open defecation free (ODF).
Goa now comes in the list with states like Bihar (38 districts) and Manipur (nine districts) where open defecation is still a problem. “Unfortunately not a single district of Goa is ODF. We have to go and find out the difficulties the State is facing (in this regard),” Parmeswaran Iyer, Secretary in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation said in New Delhi, and as quoted in the national dailies. As one of the most well-known tourist destinations in the world, officials feel that there is an urgent need to meet the challenge in the State, which is a world renowned tourist destination.
It is learnt that officials feel that though Goa is one of the smallest states in the country, the rocky terrain and low water levels make it difficult to have proper water supply and hence in most rural areas, people are forced to defecate in the open. A national newspaper has quoted an official stating that ODF has also become an issue in most of the urbanised areas in Goa, especially at places with ongoing construction, due to uncontrolled and illegal leasing out of premises without toilet facilities to migrant labourers and families.
Official documents regarding Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) on Goa show that SBM coverage is close to 77.84 per cent in North Goa, whereas in South Goa it is 73.81 per cent.
“I was told by the Goa CM that the State will be 100 percent ODF by October 2018. I have no doubt whatsoever that Goa will be 100 percent ODF by October 2018,” Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri had told a press conference in Goa on January 20. Meanwhile, Parrikar has vowed to provide toilet facilities to every household by October 2.
