6 Ways to Bridge the Urban - Rural Divide in Sanitation As the country is moving towards technological and infrastructural development and advancements, one can not neglect the importance of other important elements that are essential for the overall growth of the country. These elements include public health and sanitation, cleanliness, social and economic welfare, etc. To work upon the cleanliness and sanitation sphere, in 2014, under the guidance of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took the vision of Mahatma Gandhi, launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan . This has been India’s one most phenomenal achieveme nt and over the years, India as a country has been working towards the attainment of the goal of a Clean and Green India. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has launched two programmes under it for urban and rural areas as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan - Gramin and Swachh Bhara t Abhiyan - Urban to work on cleanliness and sanitation in their respective areas. One of the obstacles to the achievement of Swachh Bharat is the lack of education in rural areas regarding the importance of cleanliness and sanitation. When talking about t he problems that exist in the sanitation area are open defecation and lack of hygiene. The construction of toilets in every household has been a priority work under this mission. Rural sanitation in India has been behind compared to urban. But, one thing t o pay attention to is that the long bridge between urban and rural areas has been a key factor affecting the quality of sanitation and cleanliness. Both proper and complete rural sanitation and urban sanitation are important for eradicating unhygienic prac tices that may lead to the spread of communicable diseases. Hence, to overcome these disparities between rural and urban areas, here are six ways: 1. Finance and funding: Wealth and funding are one of the most important things that will help in bringing cha nges in rural areas when it comes to encouraging sanitary practices. Government should target assistance for the poor and facilitate access to finance in these areas. There should also be a regulation to keep in check the funds and how they have been utili sed when it comes to Swachh Bharat. One of the most important things would be the construction of toilets in every household. 2. Education and spreading awareness: This point has been emphasised quite a few times on how people in these villages and rural area s must be educated on the importance of sanitation. India’s “no toilet, no bride” campaign, for one, has proved more motivating than many other initiatives. 3. Encourage willingness to pay: It can be seen nowadays that people are understanding how the stan dard of living can affect health. Hence, they are willing to pay for better quality amenities and services. For example, people tend to now invest in water treatment plants in villages for holistic growth and well - being. Hence, once the politicians of thes e villages receive funds for the construction of toilets and other such sanitation activities, they should make sure to work upon it and give the people what they need and deserve. 4. End social exclusion: Everyone is entitled to proper sanitation and cleanli ness in their lives, and whatever amenities provide these things are also made for all, equally. Hence, there should be fair participation as well as distribution of resources for both urban and rural areas. 5. Experimenting with new technologies: People are often hesitant to adapt to new things. Nowadays, new technologies are built with the perspective to provide low - cost yet quality service. Sanitation technology should also work towards these and help people understand how they could utilise these services and lead a healthy life. Prepaid water cards are a good example of advancements in this area. 6. Surveys and data collection: It is important for the Government to conduct frequent surveys in order to understand the growth in their efforts and how these sanit ation facilities have been helpful or what changes are needed. Geocoding, crowdsourcing, and open data systems can help in planning a systematic structure for development.