Kargil sustains ODF gains as waste segregation expands across 15 blocks under SBM Phase-II

KARGIL: Kargil has sustained its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status since 2017, while the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission is expanding solid-waste management infrastructure and sanitation coverage across the district, District Nodal Officer, SBM Rural, Mohd Toha, said.

Speaking during a special podcast under “Jan Seva Se Desh Seva”, organised by RNU Akashvani Kargil, Toha said the focus had shifted towards sustaining sanitation gains, improving waste management and encouraging lasting changes in public behaviour towards cleanliness.

He said waste-segregation facilities have been established across all 15 blocks of Kargil, with each facility providing employment opportunities for around eight to 10 workers.

The expansion of local waste-management infrastructure is part of the implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission Phase-II, which places greater emphasis on sustaining sanitation achievements and strengthening systems for the collection, segregation and management of solid waste.

Toha said the mission had also contributed to a visible change in public behaviour towards cleanliness and responsible waste disposal in the district.

He pointed to the challenges posed by Kargil’s prolonged winter road closures, saying residents in affected areas were increasingly storing household waste and handing it over to designated garbage-collection vehicles once collection services resume.

He said such practices reflected growing community participation in maintaining cleanliness even in areas where regular waste collection is disrupted by difficult weather and road conditions.

The SBM official said efforts were also continuing to provide toilet facilities to newly formed or divided families, with the objective of extending sanitation facilities to all eligible households and consolidating universal sanitation coverage.

Kargil was declared Open Defecation Free in 2017, and the ongoing interventions are aimed at ensuring that the gains made under the sanitation campaign are sustained.