Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Aug 8: All 354 villages in Dakshina Kannada district have been declared Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus) as of August 4, according to data from the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) [SBM(G)].

The declaration means every village sustains its ODF status, has arrangements for solid and liquid waste management, and maintains visible cleanliness. While all 354 villages have solid waste management systems, 337 also have grey water management in place, the union government informed the Lok Sabha on August 7.

Replying to a starred question by Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil said that 8,476 individual household latrines have been constructed in the district since the launch of SBM(G), including 36 built during 2024–25.

Solid waste management in Dakshina Kannada (as of Aug 4, 2025):

• Segregation sheds: 256

• Waste collection vehicles: 197

• Community compost pits: 251

• GOBARdhan bio-gas plants: 3

• Plastic Waste Management Units (PWMUs): 4

Liquid waste management:

• Individual soak pits: 15,388

• Kitchen gardens: 2,71,444

• Community soak pits: 938

The minister added that 196 Community Sanitary Complexes have been built in the district, including one completed in the last financial year.

Phase-II focus
Under SBM(G) Phase-II, the programme emphasises composting of organic waste, GOBARdhan bio-gas projects, plastic waste collection and recovery, and grey water treatment through soak pits, leach pits, waste stabilisation ponds, or faecal sludge management.

Dakshina Kannada currently has two faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs), with eight more under construction. An inter-taluk verification team has also been set up to assess ODF Plus model villages, as per SBM(G) guidelines.

Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) have been formed in gram panchayats to ensure community involvement, while women’s self-help groups under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM–Sanjeevini) are engaged in waste management with NGO support.

Funding and convergence
The Union Government released Rs 1.53 crore for 2024–25, Rs 3.16 crore for 2023–24, and Rs 8.30 crore for 2022–23, all of which have been fully utilised. Implementation has also been aided by convergence with MGNREGA, Finance Commission grants, local body revenues, panchayat development funds, the District Mineral Fund, and corporate social responsibility contributions from private entities.