Goa was officially declared an open defecation free (ODF) state in September 2019. The ground reality is probably quite the contrary. It is learnt that the state Health Department conducted inspection of 52 houses at Curti in Ponda over human waste disposal in the open apparently by migrants. Human waste disposal in the open and by the roadside is a health hazard as it is an open invitation for various diseases especially during the monsoon. It is pertinent to note that migrant labourers who work in the state stay in rented houses. They may not have toilets and soak-pits. Hence these labourers are left with no option but to resort to open defecation. It should be made mandatory for rented houses to have the necessary toilet facilities and also a septic tank so that the waste is not disposed-off in the open. Houses should also be covered under the sewerage network services. The local panchayats and the civic bodies need to carry out a survey of the number of houses which have individual household latrines in their jurisdiction. The authorities concerned should also build community toilets.
