Open Defecation Free status
Also called: ODF, ODF+, ODF++ · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Open Defecation Free (ODF) status is a label given to a village, city or area when no one there defecates in the open, because every household can use a toilet. It became a central goal of the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on 2 October 2014. The higher levels add a test of whether toilets keep working. ODF Plus (rural) means toilets stay in use and the village also manages its solid and liquid waste. In cities, ODF+ asks that public toilets stay clean and working. ODF++ adds safe handling of faecal sludge (the waste that collects in septic tanks and pits). The status matters because open defecation pollutes water and land and spreads water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera.
Example
Rural India was declared ODF on 2 October 2019. Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II (2020-21 to 2024-25) then set the goal of ODF Plus for villages. In cities, the claims were tested. PRS noted that only 1,276 of the 4,320 cities declared ODF had toilets with water, upkeep and hygiene. In 2018 a Parliamentary Standing Committee asked that independent agencies check ODF claims, instead of local bodies declaring the status themselves.
Don't confuse with
- Garbage Free City star rating: this rates how a city handles its solid waste. ODF is only about safe toilets and human waste.
- Declared ODF vs working ODF: a declared status can hide toilets with no water or upkeep. The Plus levels exist to close that gap.