Cases of diarrhoea among children living in non-open defecation free (ODF) villages are 46% higher in comparison to ODF ones, findings of a study conducted for the drinking water and sanitation ministry showed.
The study by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation covered 4,000 households across UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka. The report said “It was observed that becoming ODF had a positive impact on child health and nutrition, evident from the fact that the health and nutritional indicators of children and mothers belonging to ODF areas were comparatively better.”
The ministry on Monday also shared the findings of a unicef study on the financial and economic impact of Swachh Bharat. The study covering 10,068 rural households across 12 states showed four major economic benefits of families that have toilets less medical costs, saving time, value of saved lives and increase in property value.
Referring to the Unicef study, PM Narendra Modi said on Monday that building and using toilets can help families avoid Rs 50,000 of additional burden per year in terms of health costs due to poor sanitation. 980 cities declared ODF. All 980 cities and towns in five states Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Haryana were declared open defecation free on Monday, the day Swacch Bharat Mission completed three years. Urban areas of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Chandigarh were earlier declared ODF by the respective governments.
