Children in this village form a team and act as "commandos" to make sure that no one is found defecating in the open. They keep blowing a whistle till the person defecating in open abandons the act.
Children in this village form a team and act as “commandos” to make sure that no one is found defecating in the open. They keep blowing a whistle till the person defecating in open abandons the act.
open defecation is not an uncommon sight in many parts of India. In spite of several initiatives by the government and different NGOs, the practice still continues in both rural as well as urban settings.
But Gadarwada village in Chhindwara District of Madhya Pradesh is an exception. This small village has become open defecation free, setting an example for other villages in India.
Photo: www.sunuptimes.com
And the credit of this remarkable achievement goes to the hygiene conscious community of the village and authorities under “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”.
After a strict intervention and with the help of “whistle-blowers” exposing people who disobey the ban and continue to make their “private” chores public, the village saw a considerable decrease in open defecation. This finally came down to zero after further efforts by the both villagers and the administration.
Whenever a person is found defecating in open, he or she is forced to stop as a team of children “commandos” continuously blow the whistle till that person abandons the act.
Mahesh Chandra Choudhary, collector of Chhindwara also launched a campaign to spread awareness about the issue and urged people to construct toilets in their houses by utilising the aid provided by the government.
Inspired by the step, villagers soon started constructing toilets in their houses. Apart from construction of toilets, children were given the crucial task of keeping a check on open defecation. A piped water facility is also provided to the villagers to deal with water scarcity. With regular intervention, the village is now called “Nirmal Gaon” and people are thankful that they have finally given up the bad habit.
We hope to see many more villages learning a lesson or two from this incredible initiative.
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