Ernakulam misses out on ODF deadline

Kochi: The district has missed the September 30 deadline for declaring it open defecation free (ODF). Though it was earlier announced that Ernakulam would be made ODF by September end and that the announcement of this status would be made on October 2, the construction of toilets has not been completed.

As per the latest statistics of the district Suchitwa Mission, only 67 per cent of the local bodies in rural areas have got the ODF tag. Out of the 7,808 toilets required for the district, the construction of 572, most of them in coastal and tribal areas, has not started yet. The number of toilets under construction is 2,030 while the total number completed so far is 5,232.

“In Ernakulam, 39 panchayats have already attained the ODF tag while toilet construction is progressing in other areas. We hope ODF status can be attained in all other panchayats by October 2 except the Kuttambuzha and Chellanam areas,” said Siju Thomas, district coordinator of Suchitwa Mission.

Coastal areas and Kuttambuzha are the two areas where sanitation works lag far behind. But if the current progress is any indication, the district can be made ODF by October end.

“The campaign is yet to gain momentum in coastal and tribal areas. On Gandhi Jayanti Day, an intensive campaign on ODF status will be launched in Chellanam and Kuttambuzha. NSS volunteers of different colleges will visit households in these areas to create awareness,” the official added.

Meanwhile, urban local bodies consisting of 13 municipalities and Kochi Corporation also lag far behind in the construction of toilets. The total number of toilets required for the urban areas is 3,619.