Musahar Communities in Lahan Still Lack Toilets Six Years After Open Defecation Free Declaration

Siraha. More than six and a half years have passed since Nepal was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), yet the sanitation situation in the Musahar settlements of Lahan Municipality, Siraha, remains dire. For the Musahar community, who already suffer due to the lack of safe shelter against windstorms, sun, and rain, toilets remain a distant dream.

Bhutnidevi Saday of Lahan Municipality-13 expressed her plight, saying, "We don't even have a confirmed place to live, so where would we build a toilet? The ring structure provided by the government years ago is there, but we haven't been able to erect the toilet structure due to lack of land."

Like Bhutni Devi, Musahar families in Wards No. 1, 2, 5, 9, 12, and 24 are still forced to defecate in the open. The lack of secure housing and land ownership is making toilet construction and usage challenging for the Musahar community.

According to a recent survey conducted by the municipality and the organization 'WaterAid', 17 percent of Lahan's 24,700 households, totaling 4,210 homes, still lack toilets. The survey found that the majority of Dalit and landless settlements have not achieved toilet access due to land scarcity and lack of awareness.

Kabindra Pudasaini, Director of the 'Wikan Project', stated that out of Lahan's approximately 30,000 Dalit population, 8,000 are from the Musahar community. Since 99 percent of Musahars are landless, both housing and sanitation have become serious problems for them.

According to social worker Shankar Prasad Gupta, this problem cannot be solved by the programs of non-governmental organizations alone. He suggests that continuous education and awareness must be provided to the community by forming active monitoring groups comprising local health workers, teachers, and civic leaders.

Lahan Mayor Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary admitted that it is concerning that such a large number of people remain without toilets in a municipality declared ODF in 2017. He said, "This sanitation challenge is serious. We are now preparing to reach every household to change the actual situation. A process for relocation, identifying suitable land for landless squatters, will also be initiated."

The municipality, in collaboration with the 'Wikan Project', has now launched a campaign to construct toilets for those 4,210 households. The municipality announced that elected representatives, social mobilizers, and youth groups will collaborate to conduct direct monitoring and awareness-raising activities door-to-door for three months.