Uttar Pradesh’s rural sanitation story is increasingly moving beyond the construction of toilets to questions of maintenance, waste management, road access and everyday behaviour. Recent ground reporting from Moradabad’s Didauri and Mangupura villages shows how community toilets, routine cleaning, fogging and improved pucca roads are affecting residents’ daily lives.
The scale of the intervention is significant: more than 2.15 crore household toilets were reportedly built in the first phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission in Uttar Pradesh, followed by another 48.99 lakh in the second phase. The state is also preparing an annual outlay of around ₹750 crore to maintain about 15.5 lakh sanitation assets, including drains, septic tanks and Gobardhan plants.
Building Toilets To Building Everyday Habits
In Didauri, the impact of sanitation infrastructure is visible in the continued use of a community toilet. Caretaker Preeti told India Today that villagers regularly visit the facility, indicating that the infrastructure is being integrated into everyday routines rather than remaining unused after construction. In Mangupura, sanitation worker Harcharan said cleaning is carried out regularly as directed by the administration.
Resident Samarpal Singh said the village is cleaned on time, toilets are being used and fogging is undertaken periodically. These interventions may appear routine, but they represent an important shift in rural sanitation: infrastructure needs a system of cleaning, maintenance and local participation to remain useful.
Why Roads Matter To A Sanitation Story
The changes reported from Moradabad also demonstrate how sanitation and basic infrastructure can intersect with livelihoods. In Didauri, tractor driver Sonu said travelling from the village to agricultural fields was difficult when roads were in poor condition. The construction of pucca roads has since made it easier for tractors and agricultural equipment to move between homes and fields.
In Mangupura too, residents described improved connectivity after kutcha stretches were replaced with pucca roads. While roads are not themselves a sanitation intervention, cleaner surroundings, usable public facilities and better access to essential infrastructure collectively influence how people experience their villages. The ground reports therefore offer a more everyday picture of development than toilet-construction numbers alone.
The Next Test: Can These Gains Be Sustained?
The government’s own policy framework acknowledges that rural sanitation cannot end with toilet construction. SBM(G) Phase II, running from 2020-21 to 2026-27, focuses on sustaining Open Defecation Free status while establishing solid and liquid waste-management systems and converting villages into ODF Plus Model villages. As of August 7, 2026, government data showed that 5,63,809 of 5,86,944 villages had reported arrangements for liquid waste management. The SBM dashboard recorded 5,66,875 ODF Plus villages as of April 1, 2026, including 5,31,500 with solid-waste management arrangements and 5,50,015 with liquid-waste management arrangements.
The Uttar Pradesh government has also been putting greater emphasis on maintaining existing sanitation assets. According to recent reporting, the state is preparing to spend around ₹750 crore annually on the upkeep of approximately 15.5 lakh drains, septic tanks and Gobardhan plants. The move reflects a basic but often overlooked reality: a toilet, drain or waste-processing facility only delivers sustained public benefit when it remains functional and is regularly maintained.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Rural sanitation is ultimately about dignity and everyday quality of life, not simply the number of structures built. A functioning toilet, a clean lane, regular waste collection, maintained drains and a road that allows a farmer to reach the fields can each make a practical difference to a household. The experiences from Moradabad also underline why community participation matters alongside government investment.
The next stage of Swachh Bharat will depend not only on creating infrastructure, but on ensuring that it continues to work, remains accessible and becomes part of daily community life. How can governments and local communities work together to make these sanitation gains lasting rather than temporary?
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