Warangal Rural to be ODF on April 3

​Warangal: The Warangal rural district is all set to celebrate its status as Open Defecation Free (ODF) district.  The district is having 1,73,435 households (as per baseline survey-2012) spread over 300 villages in 279 gram panchayats (GPs) in 14 mandals in the district. The number individual household latrines (IHHL) constructed in the district is 1,73,435, according to the District Collector M Haritha. 

She informed that about 31,086 IHHLs were constructed under employment guarantee scheme (EGS) and rural water supply (RWS) department, 63,235 are constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) while 79,114 toilets are constructed by residents themselves.

An amount of Rs 75.88 crore has been allocated under Swachh Bharat Mission (G) of which Rs 30.37 crore received and Rs 52.81 crore yet to be received. The district is declared ODF declared on March 31.

To mark the achievement and make an official declaration, a meeting will be organised at Vishnu Priya Gardens, Hunter Road, in Hanamkonda on April 3. Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari along with several elected representatives will attend the programme, Haritha said.

The meeting, which will be attended by mandal special officers, mandal parishad development officers, MPPs, ZPTCs and sarpanches is also aimed to discuss the launch of ODF plus programmes in the district as a follow up to ODF status.  

Under ODF plus, activities like constructing magic soak pits at every household in the villages along with construction of dumping yards and compost units will be taken up. It is aimed at achieving healthy sanitation conditions by arresting growth of mosquitoes and spread of viral fevers.  

In order to achieve ODF status, interactions with the villagers have also been conducted asking them to make of the IHHLs as just constructing the toilets will not make a village free from open defecation. The villagers were asked to make collective efforts to stop open defecation in order to ensure better sanitation.  

The village sanitation committee members are asked form teams to maintain vigilance during morning hours on every day to prevent open defecation. Similarly, the members of self-help groups and women groups are roped in to play an active role achieving ODF status.

Same approach will be adopted in ODF plus activities, Collector Haritha informed adding that gram panchayats, which are free from open defecation will be given Rs 3 to 5 lakh as incentive. She thanked the villagers, elected representatives and officials for their efforts in declaring Warangal rural ODF district.

It may be noted that Warangal Urban district is the first district to be declared as Open Defecation Free district in the State. It has been declared ODF district on November 27, 2017.