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Toilets will soon become a reality in the villages of Jharkhand if the Rotary club of Ranchi has its way.
Rotary club, in collaboration with Unicef, has decided to embark on an ambitious project to build toilets in rural households across the state. About 40 villages will benefit.
The project will be implemented in phases and to start with, toilets will be first built in four villages by this August. According to plans, 150 houses in each village will be covered and a total of 400 toilets built. While Rotary club will provide funds to the tune of $50,000, Unicef will generate awareness about sanitation and hygiene among the rural folks.
Unicef head (Jharkhand) Job Zachariah said they would focus entirely on social mobilisation. “We will stress on strong communication and bring about behavioural changes in the community so that villagers understand the benefits of using toilets,” he said.
According to him, only 42 per cent of rural households have access to toilets at present.
Rotary district governor Jogesh Gambhir said that they would first go about selecting the villages and then spread awareness among the residents about the hazards of defecating in the open.
“It will be the village headmen, who will choose the houses where toilets need to be built. Hence, we will first sensitise the headmen about the benefits of using toilets. We are also planning to take Rs 1,000 from them before starting construction so that they develop a sense of ownership,” he added.
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