Open Defecation – India’s shame – A menace in Villages

PARD INDIA, in its pursuit of raising awareness of total sanitation among rural India’s masses, is campaigning for “Use In-house Toilet” under our “Community Swachh Bharat Program (CSBP).” It was formally launched in Yernagudem Village, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India, on 27 July 2014. The program is aimed at reaching every rural community, household, and children, especially girls, in rural areas and making them aware of the severe health complications of “Open Defecation.”

Read more about PARD INDIA’s Community Swachh Bharat Program by clicking here.

About “Open Defecation”

Open Defecation is the practice of defecating outside,  in public,  and around your local community, as a result of year-old cultural practices, lack of personal and public defecating facilities (toilets, latrines), and lack of awareness.

Open defecation rates have been decreasing steadily. Between 2000 and 2022, the number of people practicing open defecation declined from 1.3 billion to 419 million, a reduction of more than two-thirds. In 2022, there were still 36 countries with open defecation rates between 5% and 25%.

According to the 2011 census of India, 92% of households without access to a toilet or latrine were rural rather than urban. On 2nd October 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India open defecation-free (ODF). Of the country’s nearly 0.6 million villages, some 0.36 million are ODF Plus. While there is no way to establish whether the status of ODF has been reversed officially, there have been murmurs about the status itself.

In July, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released their Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report on water supply, sanitation, and hygiene for households in 2022. The JMP report gives a status on access to water, sanitation, and hygiene to monitor progress on SDG 6. According to this report, 17% of the rural population in India still defecated in the open in 2022. One quarter of the rural population didn’t have even “at least basic” sanitation facilities.

The percentage of the Indian population practicing open defecation (% of population) was reported at 11.1 % in 2022, according to the World Bank’s collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. 

The menace of Open Defecation has more severe consequences in cases of women and girls. In addition to being exposed to diseases, they put their dignity, privacy, and security at risk. Therefore, the need for “In-house Toilets” is not only limited to health-related reasons but also a matter of pride and honor for the families.

Impact of “Open Defecation” on Human Health

A single gram of human faeces (bodily waste matter derived from ingested food and the secretions of the intestines and discharged through the anus) contains as much as 10,000,000 viruses, 1,000,000 bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 parasite eggs. When ingested, it can therefore lead to typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio, pneumonia, fatal worm infestation, trachoma, stunted physical development, and impaired cognitive function.

To many, this is a daily morning routine despite the hazards of contracting diseases such as diarrhea and hepatitis. It makes open defecation a leading cause of diarrheal death. 

Root Causes of “Open Defecation”

The practice of Open Defecation is almost exclusively associated with areas of extreme poverty, particularly in rural areas. Apart from poverty and lack of lavatories, one of the reasons often cited to explain open defecation in India is the ingrained cultural norm making the practice socially acceptable in the society.

India’s problems with open defecation fundamentally stem not from a lack of toilet access, but from the fact that too many people in rural India do not want to use toilets. Being unaware of open defecation dangers contributes a lot to this cause.

“Just building toilets will not solve the problem, because open defecation is a practice acquired when you learn how to walk. When you grow up in an environment where everyone does it, even if you have access to proper sanitation later in life, you will revert back to it,” says Sue Coates, chief of Wash (water, sanitation, and hygiene) at UNICEF. 

India will be free of open defecation only when “every Indian household, every village, every part of Indian society will accept the need to use toilets and commit to do so”.

The strategies implemented by the Government so far to “End Open Defecation” may not have the expected impact because of a “lack of focus” and “lack of commitment” by the implementing authorities at the very ground level. That is why Grassroots NGO in India, like PARD INDIA, which is well connected with rural communities, play a significant role in communicating these strategies by acting as a bridge between the Government and the rural communities.

Measures to “End Open Defecation”

 ‘Latrine-Use’ or “Toilet-Use” revolution must reach the masses with the message that open defecation is a menace and shall not be acceptable. We encourage all political parties and their followers, the government and its agencies, panchayats, students from schools and colleges, NGOs, and all responsible citizens to join the campaign of “Use In-house Toilet” and help the rural communities to protect their dignity and enrich their way of living. It is to be noted that no government can achieve state development and achieve the status of a developed nation as part of Viksit Bharat @2047 without curbing this social evil of Open Defecation. 

The campaign to end open defecation must build a strong workforce and volunteers to educate people about the importance of toilet use. PARD INDIA, an NGO working for education in India, will continue to create a mass campaign in rural areas to eradicate Open Defecation practices.

India and Total Sanitation

The World Health Organization states that Sanitation generally refers to providing facilities and services for safely disposing human urine and feces. Inadequate sanitation is a significant cause of disease worldwide, and improving sanitation is known to impact health in households and across communities significantly. The word ‘sanitation’ also refers to maintaining hygienic conditions through garbage collection and wastewater disposal. 

As a step forward to the Sanitation mission, the Indian government, under the Pradhan Mantri Swachh Bharat Yojana, provides financial aid to the rural households for toilet construction. While the construction of toilets was the primary goal, the Swachh Bharat Mission is now expanding its cause to sustainable liquid and solid waste management. The Indian government is proceeding with the Swachhta Abhiyan in phases to achieve total sanitation. A scheme launched to provide personal toilets to the poor and rural communities is now looking to improve the country’s waste management system. A significant change brought about by this government initiative was awareness. Picking out celebrities, sports, and TV personalities was a great way to reach the hearts of rural communities.

A Move to Eradicate the ‘Open Defecation System” by Children under the “Right To Education Act”

The Supreme Court has ruled that separate toilets for boys and girls and drinking water facilities are integral to the Right to Education and ordered all schools to make provision for them.

According to the honorable Supreme Court, “separate toilets and drinking water facilities are essential for basic human rights that enhance the atmosphere where the education is imparted. It can also be put in the compartment of basic needs and requirements in schools.” 

Government Schemes to Eradicate the Open Defecation System

The Indian government has been actively taking part in making the country Open Defecation-Free (ODF) with schemes like the Total Sanitation Campaign, Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, or the current Swach Bharat Mission. We are now in the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission, primarily focusing on keeping Indian ODF and improving the management of solid and liquid waste.

Objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission (Phase 1 and 2):

• The primary goal of this scheme was to provide the rural communities of India with proper defecation infrastructure. It was aimed at giving every home a personal toilet. The government also provided financial aid to the rural communities for toilet construction.
• To educate the rural communities about the dangers of open defecation
• Improving the management of solid and liquid waste
• Spreading awareness about the health and welfare benefits of waste management and sanitation
• Emphasizing the importance of cleanliness and hygiene 
• Educating children about the importance of sanitation

PARD INDIA Campaigns for “End Open Defecation System” in Rural India

1. PARD INDIA is a Grassroots NPO (Non-Profit Organization) whose goal is to educate people on the health and environmental benefits of “In-house Toilet Use” and raise cultural awareness.
2. Taking government schemes to the rural communities, explaining the benefits to them, and helping them to avail themselves of those benefits.
3. Bridge connection between individuals and the IHHL (Individual Household Latrine) scheme implementing authorities for constructing latrines and toilet facilities.
4. Inform the Government to provide running water facilities in school toilets with adequate flushing systems and drains so that all children can use the toilets. Connect the wastewater to the drains to control the water storage, prevent the growth of mosquitoes, and manage the odor to make the area around the toilet habitable. Sponsor a WASH Project in a school or community area.
5. In our campaigns for “Use In-house Toilet,” we involve local political parties, the government and its agencies, panchayats, students from schools and colleges, NGOs, temples, churches, masques, and all responsible citizens and communities in a collective effort. Support us to “Build a Public Toilet” with modern facilities in a village. 
6. Pressure the elected representatives to introduce legislation and provide enough funding for the construction of quality toilets with running water; the current provision for an incentive of Rs. 12,000/- for the construction of IHHL for all BPL households is highly inadequate. 
7. Share the platforms of other NGOs, Foundations, and Organizations dedicated to the cause of “End Open Defecation System” at the national and International levels and promote easily accessible and durable toilet systems among the rural masses.  
8. PARD INDIA, being a responsible NGO for Rural Health, is dedicated to the welfare of rural communities in India. Our “Use In-house Toilet” campaign is one such initiative, aiming to spread awareness and improve the quality of rural life. 

References:

• Reference link for PARD INDIA Community Swachh Bharat Program
• Reference Link for the Rs 12,000 Incentive for IHHL 
• Reference link for 11% defecation report in India 2022 
• Reference link for Is open defecation back in India?

Let us join our campaign for “Use In-house Toilet” 

Say “No to Open Defecation” and save the environment, the health, and the dignity of human beings.

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