IMPHAL, Aug 12 - After Senapati and Bishnupur districts, Churachandpur has become the third Open Defecation Free (ODF) district in Manipur.
Though Senapati district bordering Nagaland was declared first ODF district during an official function at Senapati district headquarters on March 28, 2018, no official function was organised to declare second ODF district in case of Bishnupur. Bishnupur achieved ODF status in mid-April 2018.
Churachandpur district Deputy Commissioner Shyam Lal Poonia, who is also the chairman of District Water and Sanitation Committee (DWSC) Churachandpur, made the official declaration on Saturday, reports said.
The declaration was made following the total construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) as per baseline survey of 2012. The Survey conducted in 2012 identified 22,282 households for construction of IHHLs in the district, Poonia stated in a press note.
ODF primarily means eradication of open defecation in the entire community by providing toilets to those who do not have sanitary latrines in their households. It stated that the verification process for the same will be completed within three months from the date of declaration.
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Gramin is a flagship programme of Central Government and under this programme 4,46,401 rural households, 3,919 government schools, 1,201 Angawadis of the State are to be provided sanitary latrines by October 2, 2019.
According to official documents uploaded in PHE department website regarding SBM-Gramin, overall SBM coverage in the state was 52.16 per cent in 2014, when the mission was first launched. The State increased its coverage to 80.50 per cent during the current year. But ODF has also become an issue in Manipur in view of the existing dysfunctional toilets numbering around 40,482, the document said.
