A Decade of Transformation: My Journey with Swachh Bharat Mission
Akhilesh Ramesh
Government Advisory | Sanitation | From Policy to Action | Capacity Building | SBCC | IEC
India’s Sanitation Landscape Before SBM
As a WASH professional with a social work background, my journey over the last decade has intersected with India’s most transformative sanitation mission: Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). The mission, launched in 2014, was not merely about building toilets or improving waste management—it was about fundamentally altering social norms, health, and dignity, especially for marginalized communities.
Before SBM, India was grappling with a severe sanitation crisis. Sanitation in India is not new, from the first five year plan onwards some kind of sanitation projecte were ther. Still in the 2011 Census revealed that 60% of the population lacked access to proper sanitation facilities, with over 500 million people defecating in the open. For communities I worked with, particularly in rural areas and urban slums, open defecation was a daily reality that brought with it the indignity of unsafe sanitation and health risks. Women, in particular, faced the dual burden of health risks and safety concerns, often walking long distances to find private spaces, leaving them vulnerable to harassment and violence.
The situation had profound consequences on public health. Water-borne diseases like diarrhea and cholera were rampant, with children under five bearing the brunt of this crisis. A World Bank study estimated that poor sanitation cost India around $54 billion a year, equating to 6.4% of its GDP in 2006. This sanitation deficit kept communities trapped in cycles of poverty and disease, and it became clear that any effort to improve WASH conditions required not just infrastructure but also deep social engagement.
Swachh Bharat Mission: A Holistic Approach
When the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014, the program set an ambitious goal—to make India open defecation-free (ODF) by 2019, a deadline aligned with Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. When
This nationwide movement brought sanitation to the forefront of India’s development agenda, and I was privileged to contribute in various capacities, at diferent levels from Gram panchayat to the District, state and national levels in last 9 years of my career. The program was launched while I was completing my Master's degree, with little knowledge of its mission beyond the news headlines. Upon joining Indian Green Service, I became intimately involved with the initiative and began working directly in the field of waste management.
At its core, SBM was a behavioral change initiative, mobilizing communities through innovative campaigns and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities. My experience as a professional in the WASH sector allowed me to witness firsthand the critical role that social engagement and community-led initiatives played in changing long-standing sanitation habits. SBM emphasized community ownership, and Swachhagrahis (cleanliness ambassadors) became champions of sanitation in villages especially during my tenure in state of Bihar and urban communities.
India in 10 years of SBM: Achievements and Transformative Impact
1. Achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) Status
One of SBM’s most lauded successes was its achievement of ODF status in October 2019. Over the course of five years, more than 110 million toilets were built across rural and urban India, benefiting over 600,000 villages and 4,000 cities. This mass-scale toilet construction, combined with intensive behavior change campaigns, led to a significant reduction in open defecation.
As a Project Manager for WASH institute in Kerala working along with the Government of Kerala, I oversaw projects that focused on addressing concerns of sanitation sustainability. According to a UNICEF study, 96% of households in ODF areas continued to use toilets, and the incidence of diarrhea among children was reduced by 30%. These gains were most visible in vulnerable communities, where open defecation had previously been the norm but the problems with second generation problems in the sector like lack of Fecal Sludge Treatment plants or even Sewage Treatment Plants in Kerala.
However, as someone who worked closely with local governments and community leaders, I recognized that ODF sustainability required continuous monitoring and behavior reinforcement ay national level. Many rural areas needed additional efforts to maintain toilet facilities and ensure consistent usage, especially during the post-ODF transition.
2. Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM)
Beyond eliminating open defecation, SBM tackles the critical issue of waste management. In urban areas, the mission's urban component—Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban)—led to a massive coverage of door-to-door garbage collection.
In Indore, a model city for solid waste management, SBM’s efforts led to 100% segregation of waste at source and the establishment of waste-to-energy plant. By integrating SLWM guidelines, we created systems that not only treated solid waste but also recycled it into compost and energy, reducing the strain on India’s overburdened landfills.
In rural settings, SBM (Gramin) focused on community-led waste management systems. In regions like Wayanad, where we done a research study on waste management activities with the Suchitwa Mission, villages adopted decentralized models, turning waste into compost for agricultural use, and reducing their environmental footprint.
3. Health and Hygiene: The Ripple Effect
The improvements in sanitation under SBM had a direct, positive impact on public health. As a WASH professional, the connection between clean water, sanitation, and hygiene is fundamental. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that improved sanitation under SBM helped avert 300,000 deaths from diarrhea between 2014 and 2019. Moreover, the mission contributed to a 20% reduction in child stunting in areas where sanitation facilities were made available, as reported in The Lancet.
My involvement in school sanitation programs was particularly fulfilling. Providing separate, hygienic toilets for boys and girls significantly reduced school dropout rates among adolescent girls, a trend observed across rural India.
Behavioral Change and Community-Led Sanitation
As a social worker, I was always aware that infrastructure alone would not solve India’s sanitation crisis. The cultural transformation facilitated by SBM was its most remarkable achievement. Across the country, community-led initiatives emerged, with Swachhagrahis and grassroots organizations driving the change.
One memorable project was in Bihar, where I worked as a Zila Swachh Bharat Prerak. We implemented an innovative Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach, where villagers collectively committed to building and using toilets, monitoring their progress through social maps. These collective efforts fostered a sense of ownership, which was crucial for long-term success.
Challenges of Swachh Bharat Mission in 2024
Despite its many successes, SBM faced notable challenges. As someone who has been involved in monitoring and evaluation of SBM projects, I’ve observed that ODF sustainability remains a critical issue. In certain areas, social norms around toilet usage were slow to change, especially in rural regions where traditional practices are deeply ingrained.
Waste management also presents ongoing challenges. While many urban areas have made significant strides, landfills remain overburdened, and waste segregation practices are not uniform across the country. As we look toward SBM 2.0, the focus must be on ensuring that solid waste management systems are not only maintained but also scaled to meet the demands of India’s growing urban population.
As Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) enters its second decade, it has achieved remarkable milestones but faces several critical challenges in 2024. While the mission successfully declared India open defecation-free (ODF) in 2019, there remain significant gaps in sustaining these gains and addressing newer sanitation and waste management issues. These challenges need to be tackled in the upcoming phase of SBM to ensure India moves toward long-term sustainability and inclusivity.
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1. Sustainability of ODF Status
One of the foremost challenges in 2024 is sustaining the ODF status across rural and urban India. Despite the construction of millions of toilets, behavioral reversion to open defecation remains a challenge in many areas. Communities, particularly in remote and rural regions, face issues related to the maintenance and upkeep of toilets. Inadequate water supply and lack of financial resources for repairs have led to poor maintenance, rendering many toilets unusable. Moreover, social and cultural barriers in certain areas have slowed the consistent use of toilets, making it difficult to sustain behavioral change.
2. Gaps in Solid and Liquid Waste Management
Solid waste management (SWM) remains a significant hurdle in urban areas. Despite improvements in waste collection and segregation, many cities struggle to cope with the growing waste generated by urbanization. Inconsistent waste segregation at the household level, coupled with overburdened landfills and limited processing capacity, means that much of India’s waste continues to be unsafely dumped or burned. While waste-to-energy plants and composting facilities have been established, their scalability and efficiency have not kept pace with demand. In rural areas, liquid waste management is still underdeveloped, posing health risks due to untreated wastewater.
3. Inequity in Access to Sanitation
Although SBM has made strides in improving sanitation access, marginalized groups such as Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and people with disabilities (PWD) often face exclusion. In remote tribal areas, geographical challenges make it difficult to reach these populations, while PWD-friendly sanitation infrastructure remains scarce across both urban and rural areas. This lack of inclusivity threatens to leave behind vulnerable populations, limiting the mission’s impact.
4. Water Scarcity and Sanitation
In drought-prone regions, particularly in states like Rajasthan and parts of Tamil Nadu, the lack of consistent water supply is a major barrier to maintaining sanitation infrastructure. Toilets in many water-scarce areas are underutilized due to the difficulty of securing water for flushing and cleaning. This has resulted in communities reverting to open defecation or using suboptimal sanitation solutions.
5. Long-Term Behavioral Change
Achieving deep-rooted behavioral change remains a long-term challenge. In some areas, cultural norms around open defecation are deeply ingrained, particularly among older generations. Despite significant Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) efforts, gaps in awareness and compliance persist, especially in rural regions where toilet use is not consistently seen as necessary for health and hygien.
6. Building Resilience
As India moves forward with Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, the focus has shifted from ODF to ODF+ and ODF++, where the emphasis is on sustainable sanitation and scientific waste management. The next phase of SBM aims to create garbage-free cities and climate-resilient sanitation systems.
The challenge now is integrating Sanitation with climate resilience strategies. In my work with the WASH Institute, we are exploring ways to ensure that sanitation infrastructure can withstand climate shocks, such as floods and droughts. These efforts are critical for protecting vulnerable populations and ensuring that SBM’s gains are not lost due to environmental disasters.
Next Phase Swachh Bharat
The next phase of the SBM, may be referred as SBM 3.0, focuses on deepening the gains made during the first two phases, with an emphasis on sustainability, inclusivity, and climate resilience.
One of the critical challenges SBM 3.0 will address is the sustainability of toilet usage. This will involve community-led monitoring, repair and maintenance schemes, and continued behavior change campaigns to reinforce proper sanitation practices. The mission will also prioritize waste management by expanding waste-to-energy technologies, promoting waste segregation at the source, and supporting recycling initiatives, particularly in urban areas.
Inclusivity is a core component of SBM 3.0, which will aim to ensure that marginalized communities, including Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and people with disabilities (PWD), have equitable access to sanitation facilities. The integration of water conservation efforts, such as rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse, is another key focus, especially in water-scarce regions which needs to go in hand in hand with missions like Jal Jeevan Mission and AMRUT.
Overall, SBM 3.0 will build on the success of its predecessors by focusing on long-term sustainability, improved waste management, and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, driving India towards a cleaner and more inclusive future
Looking back at the last 10 years of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the transformation in India’s sanitation landscape is undeniable. From open defecation to sustainable sanitation systems, SBM has not only improved health and dignity but also transformed social norms, particularly for women and marginalized communities.
As a Social Worker turned WASH professional , I am proud to have played a role in this movement at my scale. The mission’s success is a testament to the power of community engagement, government commitment, and the tireless work of sanitation warriors across the country. As we enter the next decade of SBM, I remain hopeful that India will continue to build on these gains, ensuring that every citizen has access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. The journey of SBM is far from over, but the foundation laid over the past decade gives us a solid base from which to build a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable India.
My other articles related to SBM
3. Creating a Culture of Sanitation: The Importance of Behavioral Change Communication in Fecal Sludge and Septage Management in Kerala
4. Circular Economy: Reimagining WASH in India
5. Beyond Pipes and Pans: Social Work's Holistic Approach to WASH in India
6. The Invisible Heroes: A Story of Sanitation Workers in India
Note: In preparing this article, I received assistance from an artificial intelligence platform. The information, suggestions, and helped refine the content to enhance its quality and accuracy. While the article has benefited from AI assistance, it is important to note that human oversight and editorial judgment were also applied to ensure the final output's reliability and relevance.
All the views given in the article are personal.