Adilabad: Open defecation is still much prevalent in the rural areas despite the state government’s efforts to eradicate it and some of the people constructing individual sanitary latrines in their homes with the state assistance of Rs 12,000.
The state government has also announced Rs 5 lakh incentive for mandal, '3 lakh for gram panchayat and Rs 2 lakh for the village if it becomes open defecation free before August 10. These incentives will be given on August 15.
The cash incentives announced by the state government may boost the construction of ISLs and may make the mandals, gram panchayats and villages “open defecation free”.
However, officials concerned feel that there would not be much improvement in having ISLs unless it is made mandatory and linked with the sanction of social welfare schemes like social pensions, Rs 1-a-kg rice, Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak and 3-acre land for Dalits.
Even today, many people go for open defecation though some even have ISLs in their houses as defecating in the open is more of a habit than a necessity in rural areas.
Most of such people prefer open defecation as they feel more comfortable; smoking or chewing tobacco while “going about their business” on the village outskirts.
They remain unconcerned that open defection causes health problems in the villages, especially during the rainy season.
The surroundings of the village become dirty due to open defecation and there have been reports that the ground water gets polluted and helps in spread of seasonal diseases.
