Kolkata, Sep 25 (IANS): With over 41 percent of households having no access to latrines, the West Bengal government's target to end open defecation by 2015 will be difficult to achieve, experts said Tuesday.

"As per the latest census data, nearly 39 percent of households - which is roughly 35 million people - defecate in the open of which nearly 17 million are females. Going by this estimate, achieving the target of ending the menace by 2015 is practically not possible," said Devendra Kothari of Rajiv Gandhi Population Mission of the Rajasthan government.

While speaking at a programme organised by Unicef here, Kothari said that about 41 percent of the households in the state do not have a latrine on their premises and only 2.5 percent of the households used public latrines.

Quoting the 2011 census, Kothari said nearly half of the rural population defecates in the open while in the urban areas, the figure was restricted to 11.3 percent of households.

Seconding Kothari's view, Unicef's state representative Lori Calvo said the government will have to work really hard if it wanted to get near the target.

"Of course, it is possible for the government to achieve the target but then it will have to work really hard. Open defecation has many ills and contributes to infections and rise in the cases of pneumonia and respiratory diseases," said Calvo.

She also stressed on the need for improving and building more drinking water sources as nearly one-third of the population in the state has to travel more than half a kilometre to fetch drinking water.