New Delhi: Kerala has been accorded the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus status by the Centre for making all the villages meet the parameters prescribed by the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Kerala earned the coveted status as all its villages have been equipped with modern facilities for sanitation and waste disposal as per the parameters set by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. Apart from Kerala, southern states - Karnataka and Telangana - have also received the ODF Plus status.

The ODF Plus concept is an extension of the ODF campaign, which focuses on sustaining the open defecation-free status and ensuring effective solid and liquid waste management practices.

The ODF Plus campaign emphasizes additional components such as the management of solid waste, liquid waste, and the maintenance of community toilets. It aims to promote holistic sanitation practices and sustainability beyond just the elimination of open defecation.

The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) or Clean India Mission is a national campaign launched by the Government of India on October 2, 2014, with the aim of achieving universal sanitation coverage and making India open defecation free. The mission had two main components – Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign) and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Gramin).

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan focussed on promoting cleanliness and hygiene practices, building toilets, and eliminating open defecation. It also aims to change people's behaviours towards sanitation and create awareness about the importance of cleanliness. On the other hand, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Gramin) targets rural areas and aims to make rural India open defecation free by constructing household toilets, community toilets, and promoting proper waste management practices.

The criteria for declaring a village as ODF Plus include its sustained ODF status along with implementing either solid or liquid waste management systems. The efforts by all villages and gram panchayats in meeting the yardsticks in this regard helped Kerala attain the status.

Gram panchayats have implemented projects for source-level management of biodegradable waste, collection of biodegradable waste by Haritha Karma Sena, construction of community and household toilets, installation of public disposal facilities for biodegradable waste, liquid waste disposal facilities and informative campaigns.

Among 1,509 villages in Kerala, 491 received the status in the ‘Aspiring’ category, while 48 secured spots in the ‘Rising’ category./ BI/