Swachh Bharat Mission avert 1.8 lakh Diarrhea cases in India
New Delhi : The Swachh Bharat Mission by Narendra Modi government is helping thousands of people to lead a disease-free, hygienic life style. The mission has helped to avert 1.8 lakh deaths due to diarrhea since 2014, says the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a recent study. Lakhs of household have gained access to sanitary toilet as outlined in the October 2019 target set under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
The drinking water and sanitary facilities, as claimed by ministry on Friday, has covered 89% houses in villages.
"According to calculations, if all sanitation services are used, the initiative could result in over 14 million more years of healthy life in the period measured, with the benefits accruing yearly thereafter," WHO said.
The drinking water and sanitation ministry said that the government has gained remarkable achievement in comparison to the days before when unsafe sanitation led to around 199 million diarrhoea cases annually.
As per the latest Rapid Survey of Children, National Family Health survey and Swacch Bharat Mission, WHO has not undertaken any primary data collection for the study. The figures used for sanitation coverage are assuming usage of sanitation services.
However, WHO responded that the methodology is used to estimate the impact is a "well-established" one and has been used for studies such as the Global Burden of Disease.
