Urban Maharashtra to be Declared Open Defecation Free: How to Report Cases of Open Defecation Using Swachhata App & Other Alternatives

In 2015, Maharashtra announced its aim of becoming ODF in the coming two years and with the help of the ‘ODF city’ concept.

President Ram Nath Kovind will be declaring urban Maharashtra open defecation free. The event will take place on October 1 in Worli. However, the issue of urban defecation in the state still exists with pictures and videos of people defecating openly appearing on social media. The government aims at putting an end to this long-running issue that stands ahead of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. However, the government has given several options to report any case of open defecation that we witness. From the Swachhata-MoHUA application that allows you to share pictures and videos of open defecation with their location to reporting it in the ward office, there are various steps that help in reporting the cases of open defecation.

There are times when we see things that irritate us but often feel incapable of doing anything about it. Whether it is watching people breaking the red light or jaywalking, however, the next time you see someone defecating out in the open, there is a way of actually stopping this and exposing the culprit. The issue of open defecation has been addressed several times and movies like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha has also addressed the issue in a satirical way. As the cities in Maharashtra focus on being ODF, here are the ways in which you can help the cause and report about the open defecation.

1. Swachhata App

The Swachhata App is the official app of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA), Government of India. The app allows people to post about any civic related issues. This method of reporting is probably the easiest and most convenient for many who use a smartphone. We all still remember the disturbing picture of a man defecating at the beach, that was shared by actress Twinkle Khanna. And the Swachhata App allows you to do just that. All you need to do is upload a picture of the open defecation with the location and the government authorities will be notified to take necessary actions.

2. Ward offices & Helplines

Another easy way of highlighting open defecation in a particular area is by approaching the ward offices. A written complaint on the open defecation with the exact location where it occurred can be submitted by any person to resolve the issue. In addition to this, people in Mumbai can also call the BMC call centre (1916) and report the problem.

In addition to this, there are reports that people will especially be deployed to check the railway tracks and other places to check that the state remains ODF. The urban local bodies (ULB) in Maharashtra have been declared ODF (open defecation free). in 2015, Maharashtra announced its aim of becoming ODF in the coming two years and with the help of the ‘ODF city’ concept. After shelling out Rs 17000 for building one toilet, the state has successfully reached closer to the goal.