The Centre has accorded the State with the ‘Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus’ status for enabling villages in meeting the parameters prescribed by the Swachh Bharat Mission.
All the villages in the State have also been equipped with modern facilities for sanitation and waste disposal in accordance with the parameters set by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
According to a press note, the criteria for declaring a village as ODF Plus include its sustained ODF status along with the implementation of either solid or liquid waste management systems. Various initiatives including source-level management of biodegradable waste, collection of biodegradable wastes by Haritha Karma Sena, construction of community and household toilets, installation of public disposal facilities for biodegradable wastes and liquid waste disposal facilities have been implemented in local bodies.
Currently, among the 1,509 villages in the State, 491 have been given ODF Plus status in ‘aspiring’ category, 48 in ‘rising’ and 970 in ‘model’ category. Kerala has the highest number of ‘model villages’ percentage-wise in the country.
The State government has set a target of achieving 100% ODF model status by December 2023. It will become the first state in the country to achieve the recognition.
