UN-Water is the UN's nodal agency that leads international
organizations working on water and sanitation in UN Member States and urges
them to encourage behavioral changes and implement policies that will increase
access to sanitation facilities among the poor, thereby helping to
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for everyone, without
leaving anyone behind, which is also the mandate of the SDGs.
The theme highlights the fact that a toilet is not just a toilet;
it's a life-saver, dignity-protector and opportunity-maker, as explained below:
- Life-saver: It is a life-saver because it prevents many
killer diseases, including diarrheal diseases, schistosomiasis, trachoma,
and intestinal worm infestation
- Dignity-protector: It is a dignity-protector because it
ensures dignity and safety of women, who can become victims of rape and
abuse by having to practice open defecation due to absence of toilets that
offer privacy
- Opportunity-maker: It is an opportunity-maker because it has
the potential of pulling people out of poverty, thereby opening new
opportunities for them
Sanitation: Facts & Figures
- 4.2 billion people (50% of the global
population) live without safely managed sanitation
- 432,000 diarrheal deaths occur annually due to poor
sanitation
- 297,000 children
under five die annually from diarrhea due to unsafe drinking water, inadequate hand hygiene
and poor sanitation
- 673 million people still practice open defecation worldwide
- 3 billion people
lack basic handwashing facilities
- 2 billion people across the globe consume drinking
water from a source contaminated with feces
- 1.5 billion people worldwide use
healthcare facilities having no sanitation
- 1.5 billion people across the
globe suffer from soil-transmitted helminthiasis, which could be prevented
with adequate sanitation
- Only 17 percent of refugees have
access to adequate sanitation facilities
- One third of all primary schools
lack basic sanitation and
hygiene facilities, affecting millions of school children
- Children under five living in conflict zones are 20
times more likely to die from diarrheal diseases caused by a lack of safe
water, sanitation and hygiene than from direct violence
- Loss of productivity due to water- and
sanitation-related diseases costs up to 5 percent of the gross domestic
product (GDP) of many countries
- Investment of USD 1 in sanitation saves USD 2.5 in
medical costs in urban areas and USD 5 in rural areas
'Safely Managed Sanitation' and its Importance
'Safely
managed sanitation' refers to the use of hygienic toilet facilities that
ensure safe disposal of excreta, preventing it from coming in contact with
humans or causing environmental pollution by pathogenic agents.
Some types of toilets that enable
implementation of safely managed sanitation include the following:
- Flush/pour
toilets connected to sewers
- Septic
tanks
- Pit
latrines
- Ventilated
improved pit latrines
- Composting
toilets
Safely managed
sanitation is important with respect to the following aspects:
- Health: Adequate
access to safe sanitation facilities encourage
people not to practice open defecation, thereby ensuring that untreated
human waste doesn't contaminate the environment and spread diseases
- Privacy
& Safety: Safe indoor sanitation facilities provide
privacy and safety to women and girls, thereby making them much less
vulnerable to sexual assault
- Productivity:
Lack of sanitation facilities can result in
absenteeism from work due to poor health arising from diarrhea, caused by
intestinal
infections. Moreover, school-going girls are often absent from
classes during menstruation due to lack of sanitation facilities
in schools
- Environment:
Ineffective human waste disposal causes
contamination of ecosystems, leading to environmental pollution, which can
give rise to killer epidemics
World Toilet Day Events in India - A Snapshot
Numerous events
will be organized in various parts of
India on the occasion
of World Toilet Day. A snapshot of three such events is given below:
- Pune,
Maharashtra: The SNEH Foundation will be conducting its 'Change Lives. Use Toilets Campaign'
in Pune to educate marginalized communities about the ill-effects of open
defecation and the importance of using toilets.
They will be organizing public lectures, rallies, poster exhibitions,
drawing competitions, among other activities to spread the message
- Guna, Madhya
Pradesh: A 'Toilet for All
Campaign in Rural Areas' is being organized in Guna - a city located
in Madhya Pradesh along the banks of the Parbati river. This campaign will
focus on issues pertaining to unhygienic toilets in schools
- Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh: The Neela Jahan
Toilet Choupal for Open Defecation will be creating awareness about
water and environmental issues pertaining to the practice of open
defecation. A meeting (choupal)
will be organized that will target school children, youths, women and the
local community to highlight the importance of toilets in preserving
health and the environment
'Sanitation for All' and the Sustainable
Development Goals: Are we on Track?
The
Targets within Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) include the following:
- SDG Target 6.2:
- Achieve access to adequate and
equitable sanitation for all
- End open defecation
- SDG Target 6.3: Improve water
quality by reducing pollution and increasing safe reuse of treated
wastewater
The world is off-track for meeting the targets set by the SDGs of
ensuring
'Sanitation for All by 2030'.
Currently, only 40 out of 152 countries are on track for achieving 'nearly
universal' basic sanitation by 2030. Some of the reasons for falling behind on
the SDG targets include the following:
- Funding shortfall
- Rising demand
- Worsening water pollution
- Weak governance structures
- Fragmented implementation of programs
The Way Forward
In order to
'leave no one
behind', stigma and taboos associated with toilets and sanitation must be
removed, especially among poor, marginalized populations who have traditionally
been ignored as they are hard to reach. These people often suffer the
worst health
consequences arising from poor sanitation in their communities.
Hence, access to sanitation facilities must address the needs of marginalized
populations and their voice must be heard by policymakers and decision-makers,
so that funding can be increased and targeted at those who need it most.
The overall health benefits of sanitation can only be realized when
everyone is included within its purview.
Conclusion
Thus, on World
Toilet Day, let's all work collectively to expand access to
safe toilets so that no one is left behind, as
sanitation is a basic necessity and a human
right.
References :- World Toilet
Day: This is Not Just a Toilet - (https://www.worldtoiletday.info/)
- World Toilet Day 19 November - (https://www.un.org/en/events/toiletday/)
- Factsheet: World Toilet
Day - (https://www.worldtoiletday.info/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/WTD2019_factsheet_2019.pdf)
- Theme: World Toilet
Day - (https://www.worldtoiletday.info/theme/)