SUSTAINABLE SANITATION MANAGEMENT IN RURAL INDIA: A NATIONAL CHALLENGE

Abstract

The UNDP's Sustainable Development Goal No. 6 aims to ensure clean drinking water and sanitation for all by 2030 worldwide. The government of India launched the "Clean India Mission" in 2014 to make India clean and hygienic. This program was to ensure a clean environment all over the India and to eliminate open defecation before 2nd October 2019. At present, the Ministry of Jal Sakti has declared India open and defecation-free after providing toilet facilities to every household. However, toilet construction is not the only solution to the sanitation crisis. There are also other emerging challenges to deal with, such as waste management in a sustainable form and finding opportunities in the waste management sector. Therefore, there is a strong need to adopt a sustainable framework for sanitation waste management to strengthen capacity building.
The present study explains sustainable development in the waste management sector, specifically in the rural context. The study is based on reviews of various research papers and reports. It says that sustainability should guide the government's implementation of sanitation programs and policies. A sustainable sanitation framework must be economically viable, socially cancelable, easily maintainable, technologically appropriate with various technology choices, and environmentally friendly. The study broadly explains four kinds of sustainability in this sector: (1) technological sustainability, (2) behavioral sustainability, (3) sustainability in program delivery, and (4) sustainable community toilets. The present study explores the challenges and existing opportunities in waste management in rural areas. However, the present government has introduced some national schemes, such as the National Bioenergy Frame Program 2022, the Govardhan Scheme 2018, and the SATAT schemes, resulting in positive results. More than 30 percent of households in India have door-to-door solid waste collection services, which the government of India is providing. This sector has many challenges in maintaining sustainability, but every challenge brings an opportunity, so this sector has been introducing many employment opportunities to rural people.