Advisor Zhaleo Rio launches IEC visual on ‘clean toilet campaign’

DIMAPUR — To promote the message of clean toilets and emphasise their maintenance, the State Mission Directorate, Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 Nagaland, collaborated with Dreamz Unlimited to produce a video in alignment with the ongoing ‘clean toilet campaign’.

The ‘clean toilet campaign’ IEC (information, education, and communication) visual was unveiled on Monday at the Capital Convention Centre in Kohima by Zhaleo Rio, Advisor for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs.

According to a press release, considering that maintaining clean toilets is a communal endeavour, the directorate has released the video with the aspiration that the message will reach every corner of the state.

Speaking on the occasion, Rio pondered why this was still a campaign when essentially everyone should be actively participating and making clean toilets a necessity and a reality. He lauded the state mission director for actively pursuing actions to achieve the goal of a better, cleaner, and healthier Nagaland.

The campaign commenced on November 19 and will conclude on December 25. It was initiated with the objective of enhancing the operations and maintenance of public or community toilets in urban India through a five-week-long mass cleanliness and maintenance drive across all toilets.

Under phase I of the mission (SBM-U 1.0), 661 community or public toilets were provided to 19 ULBs and towns in Nagaland.

In her speech, Elizabeth Ngully, State Mission Director, SBM-U, highlighted the ongoing issue of improper septic tanks and faecal sludge being released into drains. She also shared statistics showing that 3.5 billion people still do not have access to safe toilets, and 419 million people practice open defecation.

According to her, the need for cleaner toilets rises day by day and 1000 children under 5 are killed every single day because of diseases emerging from dirty toilets. Further, she challenged the attendees to practice keeping all public toilets clean.

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