A file photo of an unkempt public toilet in the city. A man can be seen relieving himself outside the toilet.(Photo: DC)
New Delhi: A large section of people in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh have neither built toilets at their homes nor use them as they continue to remain unaware about the benefits of using lavatories, the government said on Monday.
Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Upendra Kushwaha further informed the Rajya Sabha that a large section of female population in the rural areas of these states do not have the access to toilets.
He said the position regarding the availability of toilet facilities to women and girls is not monitored separately.
"A large number of people defecate in the open (in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh) because they can not afford to build a toilet from their own resources," the Minister said in a written reply.
He said as per 2011 census, only 18.6 per cent households in Bihar have the access to toilet. It is 8.3 per cent in Jharkhand, 14.8 per cent in Chattisgarh, 15.3 per cent in Odisha and 22.9 per cent in Uttar Pradesh.
Kushwaha said it is through the states that the Centre administers Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA), a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with the main objective of eradicating the practice of open defecation and ensuring clean environment.
The programme also provides for separate toilets for girls in government schools that were built prior to 2007.
Separate girls toilets are also provided in schools under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan scheme.
