Kerala Among Top-Performing States in Achieving ODF+ Status, a Sanitation Milestone
Kerala has emerged as one of the top-performing states in achieving the ‘ODF Plus’ status, a significant sanitation milestone under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Jal Shakti minister, recently announced that approximately 75% of India’s villages, around 4.4 lakh in total, have attained the ODF Plus status.
An ‘ODF Plus’ village is one that has not only sustained its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status but has also effectively implemented either solid or liquid waste management systems.
This achievement marks a crucial step towards realizing the objectives of the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin by 2024-25. Notably, all villages in 14 states and Union Territories (UT) have successfully achieved ODF Plus Status, with four of them being declared ‘ODF Plus Model.’
The top-performing states and UTs, where 100% of villages have attained ODF Plus status, include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Tripura. Among these, Andaman and Nicobar, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, and Sikkim have also achieved the coveted ‘ODF Plus Model’ status.
Out of the total 4,43,964 ODF Plus villages, 2,92,497 are categorized as ‘ODF Plus Aspiring’ with arrangements for solid waste or liquid waste management systems. Additionally, 55,549 villages fall under the ‘ODF Plus Rising’ category, having arrangements for both solid and liquid waste management. Moreover, 96,018 villages have been recognized as ‘ODF Plus Model.’
In terms of specific waste management, 2,31,080 villages have established arrangements for solid waste management, while 3,76,353 villages have implemented measures for handling liquid waste.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Jal Shakti minister, emphasized that achieving the milestone of 75% ODF Plus villages represents a significant progression for India as it transitions from ODF to ODF Plus in the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin Phase II. The mission’s second phase focuses on sustaining ODF status and establishing comprehensive waste management systems to address various waste types, including solid, bio-degradable, plastic, liquid, and faecal sludge.
