Hyderabad Declared Open Defecation-Free City

Hyderabad has been declared an Open Defecation-Free (ODF) city by the GHMC as all the 150 wards under the corporation's jurisdiction are open defecation-free now. Corporators of all the 150 wards have declared that their wards are now open defecation-free, and have requested the government to declare their wards as thus.

The GHMC has issued a preliminary notification that Hyderabad is being declared open defecation-free, and the GHMC Commissioner invited objections, complaints and suggestions in this regard to be brought to his notice on or before August 28 in writing.

The Swachh Sarvekshan Mission initiative constituted by the Centre under the guidance of IT Minister K T Rama Rao has taken various initiatives to control open defecation, and constructed individual toilets where sufficient place was available and community toilets where sufficient place was not available, and also provided pre-fabricated toilets at slums where the land is in dispute.

The GHMC has created 1,975 individual household latrines, and 384 public and community toilets in order to achieve the ODF status for Hyderabad. There are 44 public toilets on BOT, and 25 SHE e-toilets are under construction in various areas. The corporation also convinced about 295 fuel stations and 390 hotels / restaurants through a Gandhian methodology (Gandhigiri) and successfully obtained their consent to open the toilets in their fuel stations for general public use. The GHMC officials have also put signage boards to indicate the access of toilet to public.

Under the Swachch Bharat Mission, several awareness programs are being conducted by the GHMC at the circle and zonal levels for arresting open urination in public places. Asli Tarakki posters are being displayed at public toilets and at open defecation / urination spots to sensitize citizens against open defecation and urination. In some instances where people are not utilizing the toilets made available, to discourage the act of open urination, the offenders are being garlanded and fined in the interests of maintaining hygiene and cleanliness. Some 225 offenders were fined and Rs 38,120 collected from them since April last year.