Only 52 per cent households have toilets in AP: Kodela Sivaprasada Rao

Visakhapatnam: AP Assembly Speaker K. Sivaprasada Rao expressed concern over the meagre number of households, only 52 per cent, having toilets in the state. Vizag is considered the financial capital of the state but the rural areas abutting it do not have adequate toilets, he said. The Speaker was addressing Swachh Sammelan organised by the rural water supply and sanitation departments here on Thrusday. He called for all-out efforts to make the state open-defecation free, as per the government directive by October 2, 2019.

“Though 75 years have passed since India got independence, Swachh India has still not become a reality,” the Speaker lamented. District collector Pravin Kumar said measures were being taken to make the district open-defecation free. So far, 50 per cent of the households in the city have toilets. Still 4.61 lakh households do not have them.

By 2018, 1.5 lakh families living in Agency areas would adopt the practice of using toilets, he said, adding that: “For 2017-18, we have set the target to construct 85,000 toilets.” Zilla Parishad chairperson Lalam Bhavani, MLAs P. Ramesh Babu, Vangalapudi Anitha and K. Sarveswara Rao participated in the programme.