It was launched as a mission mode 5 year programme in 2014 to eradicate ills of open defecation and ensuring proper solid waste management system. It is a flagship scheme of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Taking a big leap from the SBM-U’s accomplishments, SBM-U 2.0 has been launched for the next 5 years forsustaining the sanitation and solid waste management outcomes achieved and accelerate the momentum generated, thus taking Urban India to the next level of ‘Swachhata’. Following will be the key components for implementation under SBM-U 2.0:
Ensuring complete access to sanitation facilities to serve additional population migrating from rural to urban areas
Complete liquid waste management in cities in less than 1 lakh population to ensure that all wastewater is safely contained, collected, transported and treated so that no wastewater pollutes our water bodies.
Under the Sustainable Solid Waste Management, greater emphasis will be on source segregation.
Material Recovery Facilities, and waste processing facilities will be set up, with a focus on phasing out single use plastic.
Construction & demolition waste processing facilities will be set up and mechanical sweepers deployed in National Clean Air Programme cities and in cities with more than 5 lakh population.
Special focus will be put on the well-being of sanitation and informal waste workers, through provision of personal protective equipment and safety kits, linkages with government welfare schemes along with their capacity building.
Policy on Promotion of Waste to Compost and Electricity has been launched. Also, Policy on Promotion of reuse and recycle of Construction & Demolition Waste too has been launched to ensure proper waste disposal.
Initiatives like ‘Star Rating protocol for garbage free cities’ has been launched by MoHUA.
Swachh Survekshan Survey, Swachhata Selfie etc. initiatives have helped in achieving the target of the scheme.
Challenges which still exist–addressing partial use of toilet and maintaining the ODF status of villages, changing mindset of people about open defecation, retrofitting sustainably unsafe toilets, prevalent practice of manual scavenging etc.
Suggestions to overcome the above challenges – Initiatives like ODF+ and ODF++ must be implemented with all seriousness as it will address the issues of maintenance of ODF status and faecal disposal management, Proper information dissemination and creating awareness about ills of open defecation etc.
