Understanding Sanitation Dynamics in Bihar, India: Evidence from the Field Survey

ABSTRACT

Background: Although a good number of individual household latrines have been constructed in Bihar during the past few years, still, a huge task remains to be completed. The paper is based on the study of “concurrent monitoring of LSBA/SBM [G] in select districts of Bihar”. Objectives: The aim is to understand different dimensions of the sanitation situation in Bihar. The objective is to suggest policy based on the findings. Materials and Methods: This study is based on primary data collected at the household level and public institutions in six districts of Bihar. Results: The analysis reveals that except a few categories, socioeconomic indicators such as religion, economic condition, or educational attainments have no significant impact on having a latrine at the household level. The variations in the construction of latrines among different districts emphasize that the public program needs to be implemented more effectively. It is also found that women are more vulnerable in a situation of open defecation. Conclusion: The challenge is to encourage people for the sustained use of the constructed latrines. This puts emphasis on changing the behavioral pattern of the people. This requires organizing a continuous awareness generation program with the aim to change the behavior.