Goa made history in 2019 when it declared itself India’s first Open Defecation Free (ODF) state. The milestone was celebrated with great pomp since it was considered proof of the state’s success under the Swachh Bharat Mission. However, while there were accolades on one side, there was scepticism on the other, especially against the backdrop of slum areas where sanitation was visibly missing.
Seven years after earning its ODF status, Goa finds itself struggling to meet the more demanding standards of sustainable rural sanitation. Verification audits, infrastructure gaps and weak waste-management systems have exposed shortcomings that declarations failed to capture. The latest figures from the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase II dashboard tell a grim story. Of the 325 census villages that Goa has classified as “ODF-Plus Model” villages, only 152 have cleared the first stage of independent verification. Also, not a single village has successfully completed the second and final stage of certification. When over half the villages showcased as sanitation models fail to withstand independent scrutiny, it makes a mockery of our sanitation claims.
Part of the problem lies in the understanding of what sanitation truly means. The first phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission focused largely on building toilets and eliminating open defecation. Phase II shifted the emphasis toward sustainability. Under the newer framework, villages are expected to maintain effective systems for managing solid and liquid waste, ensure clean public spaces, and prevent wastewater from accumulating in ways that threaten public health.
On paper, hundreds of villages report having systems for solid-waste management. However, the picture changes drastically when it comes to the treatment of faecal sludge and liquid waste. Data shows no meaningful progress in connecting rural areas to functioning Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) or Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). Equally alarming is the absence of basic operational infrastructure. There are no recorded rural desludging vehicles, and no GPS-monitored fleet dedicated to handling septic waste.
The question that crops up here is: Where does the waste from the thousands of septic tanks across rural Goa actually end up? Without specialised vacuum trucks, organised collection systems and treatment facilities, scientific disposal of human waste becomes virtually impossible. In such circumstances, untreated sewage is likely to find its way into groundwater sources, contaminating aquifers and eventually affecting rivers and ecosystems central to Goa’s environmental health.
The situation is also not encouraging when it comes to greywater management. Everyday wastewater from kitchens, bathrooms and washing areas continues to receive inadequate attention. Only a small fraction of Goa’s 2.61 lakh rural households are covered by individual greywater treatment systems. While authorities often point to community-level drainage networks as evidence of progress, stagnant wastewater remains a familiar problem in many rural areas.
Goa cannot argue that it was unaware of the inherent problems. As far back as 2018, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development had warned States that pressure to achieve ambitious targets could result in inflated reporting. The CAG has also repeatedly flagged weaknesses, including inadequate waste-management planning and shortage of trained technical personnel within local bodies.
Sustainable sanitation cannot be achieved through certificates, dashboards and publicity campaigns alone. It requires long-term investment in treatment infrastructure, regular monitoring, skilled manpower and systems that continue to function long after targets have been announced as achieved. For a tourism state like Goa, complacency can hit very badly. The State’s rivers, groundwater reserves and fragile coastal ecosystems should not become casualties of administrative optimism. The State government must shift its focus from celebrating milestones to filling the gaps; otherwise, the sanitation tag will be extremely difficult to defend.
