India Open Defecation-Free? Bihar Village Tells a Different Story

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Video Producer: Hera khan

"Women have to either wait for darkness to fall or wait till morning," said a woman about the troubles they face everyday to defecate.

According to the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin website, India is ‘open defecation-free.’ But does every house in Bihar have a toilet? Do women in Bihar no longer have to defecate in open?

The Quint reached Rathi village in Bihar’s Madhubani ahead of the Assembly elections to find out the truth.

“We don’t have a toilet at home. We have to go very far to defecate but if there are too many people, we return.”

Sarita Kumari, Student, Class XI

"We don't have a bathroom, so we have to defecate in the open," said Basanti Devi, Sarita's mother.

Basanti Devi also complained that they spend a lot of time waiting for a chance to go to defecate, which in turns makes them fall sick.

Almost every woman in the village is compelled to defecate in the open. Villagers complain that the government promises to give them money once they have built the toilet, but they never receive it.

Reportedly, only 600 out of the proposed 1,200 have been built.

"200-250 people made toilets with their own money", said Munni Devi, the village head.

Several public toilets have been constructed in the village, but locals complained that the these were not usable.

However, speaking to The Quint, Rampreet Paswan, the MLA of Rajnagar said that the government has no land to make public toilets.

“They are poor, they are not able to make toilets. I tried to make public toilets, but we got no land. Hence, we couldn’t make any public toilets. We got no place, and the cost of land is too much. Bihar government has no land here and no one is ready to give their land.”

Rampreet Paswan, MLA, Rajnagar

On the complaints of the villagers that they don't get money despite making toilets, the MLA said, "There is a system, people have to make toilets and apply with photos, but if they don't show, how will they get the money?"

Local women of the village complained that lack of toilets compels them to defecate in bushes and they continue to face a lot of problems despite the central government's promises.