Sandhya Raghavan
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Written By: Sandhya Raghavan | Updated : November 19, 2017 1:25 PM IST
Every year, World Toilet Day is observed every year on the 19th of November. Many of us sniggered at the thought, thinking why the crapper needs a dedicated day. Coming from a place of privilege, city-dwelling, middle class Indians find it hard to wrap their heads around the concept. But it's no laughing matter when you need to forego your sense of privacy and shame and squat next to railway tracks to fulfil a basic bodily function or when you have to taking the cover of darkness and risking your life every morning to attend to the call of nature, like millions do in this country. Above everything else -- not bullet trains, temples or Sardar Patel statues --- India needs its Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan and toilets more. Here are seven stunning facts about toilets in India.
1. India leads in open defecation
Of the one billion people who defecate in public, 66 percent belongs to India. And nearly all of them -- 92 percent-- live in the rural areas. According to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Performance Index of 2015, developed by the Water Insititute of University of North Carolina, India was one of the worst performers at rank 93. Embarrassingly for the country, India's arch-rival Pakistan ranks fifth in the index.
2. Open defecation cause deaths
Open defecation is one of the major factors causing fatal diarrhoea in children. Young children and infants who have the habit of putting things in their mouth are at greater risk of ingesting harmful bacteria, parasites and viruses, which spread gastrointestinal infections. Although it is a preventable problem, diarrhoea claims the lives of 2000 children below the age of five die every day.
3. Open defecation is responsible for stunting
Statistical data reveals a positive correlation between open defecation and childhood stunting. According to Demographic and Health Survey from 65 countries, open defecation has been tied to variation in child height in poor and middle-income countries. Gastrointestinal problems caused by open defecation and spread of pathogens cause health problems like malnutrition. Valuable nutrients are lost when the child suffers from diarrhoea and without enough nutrition, the child's growth remains stunted.
4. Toilets have added years to our lives
Even more stunning is the fact that after the introduction of toilets around 200 years ago, twenty more years have been added to the human lifespan. Flush out toilets reduced the chances of faecal pathogens coming in contact with humans, preventing life-threatening illnesses and infections.
5. Lack of toilets facilitates violence against women
In the past couple of years, there were many cases of women being jeered at, assaulted, molested, raped and even murdered when they stepped out in the open to defecate. Most well-known is the incident in Badaun UP, where two teenage girls were raped and murdered. Around 95 percent of all rapes in India occur when women go to defecate in secluded places, where rapists and molesters lay in wait to ambush them. According to BBC, a senior police officer revealed that 400 rapes in Bihar could have been avoided had there been enough toilets.
6. Indian culture encourages open defecation
Many rural homes insist on defecating in the open due to the rigid religious laws of pollution and purity. The idea of housing a toilet inside the house is considered inauspicious by certain households. Children follow the ways of their parents and grandparents, thus building a culture of open defecation. Most farmers also believe that defecating in the field increases the fertility of the soil and rejuvenates the bowels and the mind. So despite the government's efforts to increase the number of toilets, the real hurdle is changing the dominant mindset of the people and encouraging them to use toilets.
7. India needs more sustainable toilets
Building toilets won't just do. What India needs are more sustainable toilets. Here are some great ideas for sustainable toilets that India needs to explore more. The pit toilet system in India causes pathogens and nitrates to leach into the ground, causing soil and groundwater contamination. Water being scarce, India should be pushing towards building toilets that help in waste management and minimising water usage. Biodigester toilets where the waste gets converted into water and methane could be the future of toilets in India.
References:
Manisha, M. (2016). Sustainable sanitation in India: Need of the hour. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 20(1), 68 69. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5278.183849
Ambesh, P., & Ambesh, S. P. (2016). Open Defecation in India: A Major Health Hazard and Hurdle in Infection Control. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research : JCDR, 10(7), IL01 IL02. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2016/20723.8098
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