From toilets to waste management, how UP Govt is pushing rural sanitation

Uttar Pradesh's Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin has shifted from toilet construction to sustaining ODF behaviour and village waste management. The change places Gram Panchayats and local systems at the centre of long-term rural sanitation.

In Short

• SBM-G began in 2014 targeting open defecation through toilets and behaviour change
• Phase II adds solid waste and greywater management to sanitation goals
• Gram Panchayats are central to maintaining facilities and managing village waste

The sanitation push in rural India has moved beyond simply building toilets. In Uttar Pradesh, the focus under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin is increasingly on sustaining sanitation practices and building systems for managing solid and liquid waste at the village level.

The Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) is a Government of India programme implemented in partnership with state governments to improve sanitation and cleanliness in rural areas. Launched on October 2, 2014, the mission initially focused on eliminating open defecation through toilet construction, behaviour change and community participation.

In its second phase, the programme expanded its focus. SBM-G Phase II aims to sustain Open Defecation Free (ODF) behaviour while improving the management of solid and liquid waste in villages. It also seeks to ensure that rural communities have access to sustainable sanitation facilities and that no one is left behind.

For Uttar Pradesh, this has meant a shift from creating basic sanitation infrastructure to building systems that can keep villages clean over the long term.

UTTAR PRADESH’S SANITATION PUSH

Uttar Pradesh has implemented SBM-G through its rural sanitation and Panchayati Raj system, with Gram Panchayats playing an important role.

The local bodies are involved in maintaining sanitation facilities and supporting the safe management of waste, making them an important part of the programme’s implementation at the village level.

According to a 2025 Uttar Pradesh government publication, the state had been declared 100% Open Defecation Free under Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin.

The publication also reported that 95,767 villages had declared themselves ODF with solid and liquid waste management systems.

The scale of the first phase was significant. The same Uttar Pradesh government publication reported that 2.68 crore individual household toilets were constructed during the first phase of the mission. Community toilets were also constructed across rural Gram Panchayats in the state.

But building toilets is only one part of sustaining sanitation.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE IS KEEPING VILLAGES ODF

With Phase II, the emphasis has shifted beyond access to toilets.

The programme focuses on maintaining ODF behaviour while establishing systems for solid waste management, greywater management and overall village cleanliness.

This represents a broader approach to rural sanitation. Once basic toilet access has been established, the challenge becomes ensuring that sanitation practices continue and that villages have systems to deal with the waste generated within communities.

That includes solid waste as well as greywater, or wastewater generated from activities such as bathing, washing and other household uses.

The emphasis is therefore on creating systems rather than relying only on individual sanitation infrastructure.

MOVING TOWARDS ODF PLUS

The next stage of the programme is reflected in the ODF Plus framework.

An official SBM-G newsletter published in January 2025 reported that 98% of villages in Uttar Pradesh were ODF Plus at the time of a December 2024 review. It also reported that more than one lakh personnel had been trained for SBM-G implementation in the state.

The ODF Plus approach expands the definition of rural sanitation. It links sustained ODF behaviour with systems for waste management and cleaner village environments.

For Uttar Pradesh, this means that the sanitation programme is increasingly about what happens after toilets are built.

Maintaining sanitation facilities, ensuring continued ODF behaviour and managing solid and liquid waste require systems at the village level. Gram Panchayats have a role in maintaining these facilities and supporting waste management as the programme moves into this next phase.

FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO LONG-TERM SYSTEMS

The transformation under SBM-G in Uttar Pradesh therefore extends beyond the construction of toilets.

The first phase concentrated on expanding access to sanitation infrastructure and eliminating open defecation. The second phase places greater emphasis on sustaining those gains and creating systems for waste management and village cleanliness.

The stated focus is now on maintaining ODF behaviour, strengthening solid and liquid waste management and supporting cleaner villages over the long term.

For rural Uttar Pradesh, the challenge has consequently moved from building sanitation infrastructure to making sanitation sustainable — ensuring that the systems created at the village level continue to support cleaner communities and better waste management.

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