Celebrating the Anniversary of Open Defecation Free District – Towards Total Sanitation in Pyuthan

For achieving the Total Sanitation target it is necessary to mobilize all stakeholders to work for post-ODF and total sanitation activities through their own networks. A wide total sanitation campaign applying clear messages through various stakeholders such as private sector, user groups, schools, religious groups, community based organizations, media etc. is required. Firstly, it is necessary to focus on sustaining the ODF-status and along that, all the other key behaviours in sanitation and hygiene will be promoted throughout the wards, VDCs and district.

The second anniversary of the District ODF was celebrated in Pyuthan on Monday, March 30, 2015. All the District Stakeholders were involved in the ceremony. The program has been celebrated each year for the remembrance of the District ODF. During that day the interaction program on Sanitation and Hygiene was organized between stakeholders through electronic media. Bazar Sanitation program was also conducted on the same day.

Way back in 2008, the total coverage of sanitation in Pyuthan was only 18% which was not encouraging. At that time, NGOs, the government agencies and others provided subsidy for household toilet construction. This apporach largely failed to deliver sustainable result. Like other sector actors, DDC Pyuthan also had provided Rs. 2.6 million as cash subsidy to Majhkot VDC but those cash went in vein. Only few toilets were constructed, and even those were not in use.

Seeing such a gloomy situation, all the stakeholders gathered in one forum and organized Sanitation Workshop and prepared a Sanitation Strategy to declare District ODF by 2013 where I was also participating. District prepared the District WASH Implementation Guideline and started to work using the one door policy. All stakeholders agreed not to give hardware subsidy for toilet construction and they agreed rather to provide reward for sanitation program after achieving ODF status. All line agencies adopted the Community Led Total Sanitation approach and started to trigger in all communities. Village WASH Coordination Committees (V-WASH-CC), Ward-Coordination Committees, and Institutional Management Committees for public toilets were formed and they prepared action plan of each ward and VDC.

Slowly and gradually the new approach started producing good results and some wards and VDCs were declared ODF and after 2010, the sanitation movement was rapidly progressing. And also the remaining VDCs were also declared ODF by the end of 2012. In 29.03.2013, Pyuthan District was declared ODF.

Remembering the day of 29th March, District celebrated 2nd anniversary on 29th March, 2015. In that program, all stakeholders including DDC, DTO, WSSDO, DAO, DEO, DHO, WASH Journalist Forum, involved during the program organized by D-WASH-CC Pyuthan. Interaction program was being held where CDO, LDO, DE, Journalists, Political Leaders were actively involved. Before the Interaction Program, sanitation program on Bazar Ilakas was done. All the stakeholders are committed to achieve the Total Sanitation target set by District till 2017.