Prevalence of many diseases and consequent deaths are directly related to poor water quality and lack of sanitation in rural areas as Open Defecation contaminates water. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Link plays a key role on health of the rural community. It is revealed that 88% of diarrhoeal diseases are attributed to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and hygiene. In spite of the best efforts of the Government, the practice of Open Defecation is still a serious issue in the country.

To accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation, Government of India launched Swachh Bharat Mission on 2nd October, 2014 with an aim to achieve Clean India by 2019, as a fitting tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiji. The Mission shall strive for this by removing the bottlenecks that were hindering the progress during the previous programs and focusing on critical issues affecting outcomes.

Accordingly, Government of Telangana has given emphasis for providing sanitation facilities to the rural community of the state in line with Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). As a part of the program, construction of household toilets has been one of the precedence areas of the State Government. The non availability of IHHLs shows greater impact on women and they suffer in silence. Therefore, the State Government has underlined paramount importance to ensure privacy and safety to the women besides improving general hygiene and health to the rural people.

• Strategies have been developed in accelerating the sanitation coverage as per the targets by formation of State Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) with a revised administrative mechanism at various levels of the state.

• Action plan for the period from 2015-19 i.e. till 2nd October 2019 has been developed based on the total target of IHHLs as per baseline survey.

• Convergence and coordination is being developed with Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and Department of Rural Development to ensure early completion of the targets.

• Saturation mode approach is being developed to ensure 100% open defecation free in the villages as well as to develop integrated sanitation and sustainability of the same.

• Government of Telangana has also launched a flagship program called “Gram Jyothi” and lot of emphasis has been given for total sanitation with the community participation.

• Government of Telangana is also very much keen in supply of adequate drinking water facility to each and every household of the state through the Telangana Drinking Water Supply Project which will also enable the rural households to construct the toilets and use of the same.