Pune: The United Nations Special Rapporteur (SR) on human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, while appreciating the ambitiousness of the Swachh Bharat Mission of the Narendra Modi government, has suggested the Indian government to make the programme more inclusive and aligned with Human rights guidelines. SR for the UN, Leo Heller, presented his observations before the Human Rights Council on Monday.
The UNHRC appoints an SR (Independent Expert) who submits reports on specific topics related to the issues related to the international human rights framework. Leo Heller, who is the SR for safe drinking water, was in India from October 27 to November 10 last year, during which he studied the availability of drinking water and sanitation for forced migrants. In his speech delivered on Monday, Heller spoke of the situation in India and Mongolia.
He said in his speech, “The most frequently discussed topic during my visit to India was related to the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission). The main goal of the programme is to end open defecation by October 2019 through the massive installation of millions of toilets across the country and behaviour change efforts, supported by the allocation of an impressive budget. The programme is indeed a unique effort. I was impressed by the nationwide momentum, from the Central government to the most basic unit of administration and the general public.”
He then went ahead and made some critical comments about the mission. “The current emphasis on ending open defecation by 2019 should not be a mere counting exercise for the purpose of declaring a village, a city or a state open defecation free,” he said, adding, “Further, the emphasis on behaviour change to use toilets as opposed to defecating in the open - should not be at the cost of affecting other rights or to result in abusive conduct. A clear and holistic human rights-based framework will guide India to fulfil its human rights obligations and, at the same time, to adhere to its commitment to ‘leave no one behind’ under the sustainable development goals.”
The Indian permanent representative to the UN, Rajiv Chander, represented Indian government’s view as a reply to the SR speech. “We have taken note of several recommendations of the SR and we are happy to inform that India already has in place several mechanisms that address most of the recommendations,” he said.
“We remain committed to addressing the rights to safe water and sanitation for all our people, and we will continue to strive further in this regard. We look forward to furthering constructive engagements with the SR on the subject,” Chander added.