The Covid-19 outbreak bared the ground reality of the Centre’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the state’s Mission Nirmal Bangla, schemes to ensure toilets in every household, in Purulia district that was declared open-defecation-free (ODF) last year.

Lack of toilets at home posed a severe challenge for seven migrant workers who tested Covid-19 positive and were advised home quarantine in Fosko village of Purulia’s Arsha block, as well as their 30-odd family members.

After seven migrants returned from Maharashtra to Fosko village earlier this month, they tested positive for Covid-19 on June 5, a district official said.

But as many villagers prefer to use open grounds to defecate on and ponds to bathe in, they refused to share these spaces with the Covid-19-positive migrants and their families. In the resultant commotion, the administration had to intervene.

“It was a new issue for us. When other officials and I visited the village on June 5 itself, villagers said how the seven migrants and their families used the grounds and pond together with others. We suggested the migrants and their families use existing toilets at the local primary school,” said Purulia district magistrate Rahul Majumdar.

The incident, however, made it plain that open defecation was a common practice in a district declared ODF.

The Narendra Modi government launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014 to end open defecation by building toilets in each household. The Mamata Banerjee government’s Mission Nirmal Bangla, launched in 2013, sought to meet the same aim. Most Bengal districts, including backward districts such as Purulia, have been declared ODF in phases since 2017.

The Covid incident, however, revealed the aim had been achieved on paper only.

“There are toilets in most households but a large number of villagers don’t use those because they lack awareness. We would not have known about the scenario had we not visited the village (Fosko) after the Covid outbreak. The villagers now understand the utility of toilets and we have decided to construct toilets for those who don’t have them,” said Majumdar.

Ujjwal Kumar, deputy chief of the Arsha Panchayat Samiti, said 60 per cent households had toilets.

“Most villagers don’t use it out of habit or lack of awareness. After seven persons were found Covid positive, the necessity of a personal toilet came to light. The district magistrate who visited the village asked us to construct toilets. We have been asked to employ migrant labourers to construct toilets to help them earn,” he said.