-P Srinivasan I Jaipur
The increase in literacy rate in villages has made the villagers aware of the sanitation, harmful effects of non-biodegradable waste, the importance of plantation, concern towards the environment etc.
Last year Jahota gram panchayat in Jalsu panchayat samiti and Jawanpura gram panchayat in Viratnagar panchayat samiti in Jaipur district were declared ODF plus villages.
Jaipur District Collector Rajan Vishal said that these two gram panchayats will act as models to inspire other gram panchayats to become ODF plus.
A reality check was done by visiting these villages and found the roads clean, drains were not overflowing and even dust bins were placed outside a few shops.
Jahota gram panchayat, 26kms from Jaipur despite having the facilities like cities maintained its traditional look. The government buildings were painted with geru mitti (red ocher powder) giving it the look of Pink City with Mandana art on the pink walls. Mandana paintings are wall and floor paintings in Rajasthan.
Jahota village sarpanch Shyam Pratap Singh Rathore said, “We wanted to bring the city-like facilities to the village, but at the same time maintain the traditional look, so decided to paint the government buildings with geru mitti and make maandna on it.” He said on Sundays and holidays, villagers who are interested in paintings make the maandna on the walls.
The village was earlier declared ODF (open defecation free) and for making it ODF plus the condition was to sustain ODF status and ensure solid and liquid waste management.
Rathore said magic pits were made at various places in the village where the waste water is diverted into it. The pits have stones and gravels that filter the waste water and help in recharging the ground water. The solid wastes settled in the pit are cleaned periodically.
Block Development Officer Omkareshwar Sharma said that a nursery has also been developed at Jahota village. On Sundays, a few villagers go to the nearby farmhouses to prune the trees and plants. They get stem cuttings and plant them which grow as new plants. Villagers on the occasion of anniversary, birthday etc buy plants from the nursery and plant it near their house or open area or in government offices. The plants are provided at a reasonable price, he added.
Rathore said that door-to-door garbage collection is being done for which Rs 120 per month is charged. At present only more than 100 houses are giving the money whereas the village has 700 houses. Efforts are being made to bring down the rate to around Rs 50 per month. The biodegradable wastes are put in the compost pit, while non-biodegradable waste at present is being dumped in a pit, 16kms away from the village. Once the Resource Recovery Centre is made, the non-biodegradable waste will be managed, the sarpanch added.
The change in Jahota was possible due to the people’s support, which will always be there and this gram panchayat will touch new heights in times to come, Sharma and Rathore added.
Similarly, at Jawanpura gram panchayat, around 75-80kms from Jaipur was also neat and clean. Sarpanch of this village Jairam Palsaniya said that the plastic wastes are sold to a plastic recycling factory. Initially, people were not cooperative, they used to burn the plastic waste and threw the biodegradable wastes on the road, but now they put it in the compost pit. The waste turns into fertilisers, which are given to the farmers. A self-help group with the help of Rajeevika collects the garbage from door-to-door and charges Rs 10 per month.
Block Development Officer Deenbandhu Surolia said that there are 15 magic pits in the village and 10 more will be made. People have been made aware of the management of solid and liquid waste and the effects of these wastes on the environment if not managed.
After these villages declared ODF plus, the cases of seasonal diseases have reduced to a great extent due to the cleanliness, said both sarpanchs.
Jaipur Zila Parishad Chief Executive Officer Jasmeet Singh Sandhu said it was a big challenge to make cleanliness a habit among the villagers. Now people are aware and as a result, Jawanpura got the tag of ODF plus. Keeping the people motivated, encouraging them to individual soak pits, etc are still some challenges, but quite hopeful to overcome them with the support of the villagers, he added.
Vishal said the Jaipur district has 606 gram panchayats, of which 10 villages have been declared ODF plus. Soon all villages will be declared ODF plus. He said that work has to be done at three-level for ODF plus including behaviour change, construction of sewerage structures and developing revenue model so that the villages become self-sustaining.
