New Delhi: The World Bank has approved a loan of US$1.5 billion to help the government in its efforts to provide toilets in villages as part of the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) programme.
The loan, which will be disbursed over a five-year period, is expected to help India end the practice of open defecation by 2019, the bank said.
“One in every 10 deaths in India is linked to poor sanitation,” said Onno Ruhl, World Bank country director for India.
Low-income households bear the brunt of poor sanitation and the “sanitation project would result in significant health benefits for the poor and vulnerable, especially those living in rural areas,” he said.
Open defecation has serious health ramifications, leading to increased cases of diarrhoea, parasitic worm infections and other public health scourges that experts say contribute to childhood stunting and malnutrition.
Several past programmes to improve sanitation facilities, especially in rural areas, has not borne any substantial results.
