About SBM

• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched on 2nd October 2014, is a massive mass movement that seeks to create a Clean India by October 2, 2019 (150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi).
• It has 2 components – urban and rural.

1. SBM Urban aims for the elimination of open defecation, conversion of unsanitary toilets to pour flush toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, municipal solid waste management and bringing about a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices.
2. SBM Rural aims to make India an open defecation free country. It seeks to improve the levels of cleanliness in rural areas through Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitised.

• The urban component of the mission is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and the rural component by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Phase II of SBM Rural

• In 2020, the Union Cabinet approved the Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) till 2024-25.
• It will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). The program will also work towards ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet.

Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0

• The government launched Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 in 2021. It will stress on further strengthening of the ‘swachhata’ (cleanliness) campaign of urban India and the government allocated the budget of Rs. 1.41 lakh crore, which will be implemented over five years from 2021.
• The government intends to focus on complete faecal sludge management and wastewater treatment, source segregation of garbage, reduction in single-use plastic, reduction in air pollution, especially waste from construction and demolition, and bio-remediation of dumpsites.

Why in News?

• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, being implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), has launched the Revised Swachh Certification Protocols for ODF, ODF+, ODF++, and Water+ certifications. 
• During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden Independence Day speech in 2014, the target of eliminating the menace of open defecation from India was made a national developmental priority. Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary was chosen as the day by which all cities and statutory towns in urban India were to become 100% Open Defecation Free (ODF).
• By increasing awareness among citizens and consistently improving the availability of sanitation facilities, the first phase of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban Was successful in achieving this target and 100% of urban India was declared as Open Defecation Free. However, the mandate of the Mission goes beyond making urban India ODF.
• .The need of the hour is to sustain these sanitation achievements while steadfastly moving towards new sanitation goals. The revamped revised protocol is aligned with SBM-2.0 objectives and is designed to ensure:
  • No untreated used water or faecal sludge is discharged into the environment and all used water (including sewerage and septage, grey water and black water) is safely contained, transported, and treated, along with maximum reuse of treated used water, in all cities with less than 1 lakh population.
  • To sustain open defecation free status in all statutory towns.
• It contains provisions to encourage cities to have robust infrastructure with reliable Operation & Maintenance (O&M) mechanisms to achieve the goal of clean urban India.
• Key interventions against each certification are:
  • ODF – Robust monitoring mechanism ensured by increasing the number of survey sample size and location types.
  • ODF+ – Focus on functionality of Community & Public Toilets (CT & PT) and innovative O&M business model for their sustainability in the long run.
  • ODF++ – Emphasis on mechanized cleaning of septic tanks and sewers. Safe collection & treatment of used water as well as safe management of faecal sludge.
  • Water+ – The focus is on collection, transportation, treatment, and reuse of both used water and faecal sludge to prevent environmental pollution.

Reference:

1. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1836975