World Toilet Day is celebrated every year on 19 November. The day was officially designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, and since then, it has been organized by UN-Water along with governments and partners around the globe. Its primary aim is to raise awareness about sanitation-related issues and break the stigma associated with them. While toilets seem like a standard necessity, several people still don’t have access to them. This lack of toilets and adequate sanitation facilities results in human waste not being captured or treated properly, contaminating water and soil, and leading to a series of problems.
The Theme and Importance of Sanitation
The theme for World Toilet Day-2018 was “When Nature Calls,” emphasizing that when nature calls, having a toilet is essential. Despite this, billions of people worldwide still don’t have access to toilets. This failure to capture and process human waste on a large scale significantly affects public health, living and working conditions, nutrition, education, and economic productivity. Diseases such as diarrhoea, intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, and trachoma can all be traced back to inadequate sanitation facilities.
The Global Sanitation Crisis
The magnitude of this problem cannot be overstated. As of today, approximately 4.5 billion people globally live without a safe toilet, and 892 million people still practise open defecation. By promoting universal access to sanitation in households and schools, we can reduce diseases, improve child nutrition, enhance children’s safety and well-being, and increase educational prospects, especially for women and girls.
| People without Access to Safe Toilet | People Practicing Open Defecation |
|---|---|
| 4.5 billion | 892 million |
Sanitation in India
India’s sanitation predicament is particularly concerning, as over 60% of the population still resorts to open defecation. Urban areas are not spared either, with over 80 million people lacking access to safe toilets. This lack of adequate sanitation facilities results in devastating impacts on public health and the economy. A staggering number of children die from diarrhoea-related diseases, and these deaths can largely be attributed to improper sanitation facilities. Moreover, from an economic perspective, inadequate urban sanitation has led to a financial loss equivalent to 6.4% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Way Forward
Nature-based sanitation solutions (NBS) ought to be encouraged to treat human waste before it returns to the environment. They involve managing vegetation, soils, or wetlands, including rivers and lakes. For example, composting latrines can capture and treat human waste on site, while human-made wetlands and reed-beds filter wastewater before it is released back into the environment. Technological solutions like Sulabh International’s machine for eliminating manual scavenging and reinvented toilets promoted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can also contribute significantly toward achieving our sanitation goals.
Technological Innovations in Sanitation
India should adopt these technological solutions and foster sustainable sanitation and hygiene practices. For instance, the machine launched by Sulabh International injects high-pressure water into tunnels and tanks and then collects the waste using a mechanical bucket operated from ground level. A remote control inspection camera generates high-resolution images of the sewer system. In addition, reinvented toilets that can treat waste and convert it into clear water for flushing and fertiliser could be a game-changer for the sanitation scenario in India.
While these technologies are being optimised, introducing Omni processors for faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP) could help end the dumping of faecal sludge into rivers, lakes, farms, and open spaces. These zero-emission processors could also prevent worker deaths in septic tanks and contribute to making India’s sanitation practices more sustainable.
