A World Bank assessment of Swachh Bharat Mission has highlighted some possible environmental and social risks in its implementation, but expresses hope of good results if gaps are addressed.
World Bank, which is lending support to PM Narendra Modi's dream project, conducted its assessment in the five states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha.
The overall environmental impact of the project is likely to be positive. But likely risks include contamination of groundwater supplies due to poor sanitation facilities, institutional sanitation facilities may pose general environmental and health problems and there could be potential impact on natural resources, and natural and cultural heritage.
The draft assessment has been uploaded on the water and sanitation ministry's website as part of a mandatory exercise before stakeholders' consultations can take place at the national level. "Challenges were observed at the level of implementation, though the impact of the identified social benefits overweighs the programmerelated social risks. Most of these risks are manageable and can be mitigated through proper implementation, better local oversight and accountability," the assessment says.
In conclusion, the assessment says that states' environmental and social systems are adequate for the programme implementation if identified actions were taken to address the gaps. The assessment also says states need to ensure that toilet designs being implemented are demand-responsive and suitable across all socio-economic strata and appropriate for onsite conditions.
The report, however, clarifies that status in states is reflective of the performance of the predecessor programmes and many of those gaps have now been addressed by the current government.