The village, an Open Defecation Free (ODF) zone, looks conspicuously clean and hygienic compared to the surrounding villages. Villagers admit their newfound cleanliness has already reduced the outbreak of perennial waterborne diseases like diarrhoea.

This has certainly not been the first attempt at inculcating a sense of hygiene among the villagers. There have been attempts by the government’s health and panchayat departments in the past, but they did not work. Sarpanch Ram Kumar says, “This time, the government involved us directly and explained things to us.”

Spearheading the awareness campaign was Sumedha Kataria, the local Sub Divisional Magistrate. “Being a woman I could empathise with the embarrassment of not having a toilet at home and having to go out. So we gathered all the ladies at the panchayat. One of the young mothers was asked to make a rough sketch of the village on the ground. Subsequently, every young mother was given a pinch of flour and asked to mark the location of her home. Then they were given a pinch of turmeric and were asked to mark spots where they relieved themselves in the open. Gradually, the villagers realised their homes were surrounded by filth.”

Meena, the 20-something head of the village vigilante committee, says the women had to overcome initial resistance. Complaints against misbehaviour were lodged with the district administration and fear of public censure proved to be an effective deterrent. “We also followed ostracisation. For example, nobody would visit or eat at the house of a person who refused to construct a toilet. Women of the village have now come up with a new slogan that they will not get their daughters married off into homes that do not have a toilet,” Meena says.

Today there is not a stench in this village, nor are there any clogged drains. More and more people have enrolled for the vigilance committee, which works in two shifts—in the morning from 4 to 6 and in the evening from 7 to 9.

Urvashi Gulati, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Panchayats, says, “The success of Munda Khera has actually led to a domino effect. Soon after this, a lot of nearby villages also started their campaigns for total sanitation to achieve ODF status. In Munda Khera we are currently thinking of integrating some NREGA projects like solid waste management and biogas under the Total Sanitation Campaign.”