Open defecation puts people at high risk for water borne diseases.  700 000 truckloads of fecal matter is not being collected every year. This shit ends up contaminating groundwater used for drinking, cleaning, etc. and poses a serious health hazard in community and public areas where collection/disposal is unreliable.

Currently, India’s Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation is pioneering a national program on total sanitation that rewards local governments for achieving open defecation free status.  A key element of reward local government is recognition at the highest level.

However, the current sanitation status of local government (gram panchyats), while publicly available, remains easily overlooked. This reduces the chances for use as an planning tool, in advocacy, and to reward local government for having achieved and retained this important status.