Parsa district is yet to be awarded with an ‘open defecation free’ status, as the local units have failed to take concrete steps to monitor the effective implementation of defecation-related policies.

A campaign to make Parsa an open defecation free district started seven years ago. Until now, only eight local units out of 14 have been declared open defecation free zones. District headquarters Birgunj, Pokhariya Municipality, Bahudarmai Municipality, Bindabasini Rural Munici-pality, Dhobini Rural Municipality and Kamalmai Rural Municipality have yet to reach the ODF status.

Ramhit Raya Yadav, an engineer at the Drinking Water and Sanitation Division Office, said that the elected people’s representatives could not fulfil their promises to make Parsa an ODF district.

“Representatives pledged to declare their area an ODF zone, but they failed to work towards that goal. Open defecation is still being practiced in Birgunj Metropolitan City and nearby Bindabasini Rural Municipality,” Yadav said.

According to the division office, after the establishment of federalism in the country, local units are responsible in making their areas an ODF zone.

“We don’t have the resources to help the local units achieve their target. There is a shortage of staff everywhere,” said Yadav.

Authorities had planned to declare Parsa an ODF district by December 2015, but the deadlines have been extended multiple times.

Birgunj Mayor Bijay Sarawagi, however, said that they are working towards making their metropolis an ODF zone.

“The ward offices haven’t put in as much work as expected,” Sarawagi said.

The local units that have already achieved the ODF status are also facing similar problems. People still prefer to defecate by the roadside and in rivers instead of using their toilets, according to authorities concerned.