World toilet day
The UN has declared Nov.19th as the world Toilet day.
We have lived and grown up with toilets, of course during our younger days when we travelled we never used public toilets since we were worried about hygiene with the advent of pay toilets those are taken care off too.
The impact of open defection never really struck in, after all at school we were thought that one method of seed dispersion was undigested seeds in the faecal matter.
At the medical school the impact of water borne disease and zoonosis kind of seeped in.
Last year when I went with the Banega Swach Bharat drive of NDTV I realized the greater impact of it, there was a man who wanted toilets constructed because he wife died when she slipped as she went out the fields. Gone were the days people looked at costing, the issue that the public presented was know how, they knew they needed toilets, they wanted the toilets too, the issue was how would the sewage handle it self they did not want it let loose into the fields and rivers as it would cause contamination. The knowledge partners organized by NDTV addressed this fundamental issue.
maybe if a year back somebody told me that the international toilet day was linked with equality, dignity and gender violence and sanitation I would have rolled with laughter. But the exposure a year ago and working with the migrant workers have really opened my eyes to something larger.
I heard stories of villagers who want to send their daughters to school but the fact that there were no toilets and the trees had been cut off to widen the roads made them aware of the desperate need for toilets and trees.
On the flip side were elders who were psychologically comfortable doing their daily rituals in the open environment so they had bowel constriction when they had to use the toilets. Interestingly the resource person suggested roofless toilets and planting of trees, or keeping flower pots.
When we are dealing with the migrant labour and informal work force things take a different turn. In a supermarket or a mall there are staff toilets and toilets for the public, but in a village market, or construction site we have neither.
Some village markets have now come up with pay toilets but construction sites are still open. The workers have nowhere to ease themselves through their 10hrs of working. Neither do they have access to potable water unless they are carrying it.
It is easy to say that India as a nation has no sense of hygiene/dignity/whatever, to a certain extent yes, but if we do not provide the toilets where on earth are the people to go, they have to ease themselves so they will go into the shrubs if they are available or go in the open.
An year back I met a company that dealt with portable toilets, when we asked them why were these not used in places where temporary toilets were required, we were told
• Their initial costing is high
• They were western toilets and Indians were not comfortable using it.
By the way the company has come up with an Indian model this year. The waste was dealt with chemically so there was no odour emitted.
The sanitation maintenance people on the Indian railway have another thing to say. Yes, the train toilets are public places. The Indian railway has recently shifted to bio-cleansing toilet units, they put up signage’s to tell people not to throw their diapers, the sanitary towels and tissues down the toilet , yet people do so, particularly in the first class section which is supposed to occupied by the more educated aware citizens as opposed to the plebiscites of the sleeper class.
The international toilet day would be a great point to start an awareness drive, and toilet training—yes I use it deliberately because we need to learn how to use a public toilet, keep it clean and conserve resources.
https://wordpress.com/posts/parwatisingari.wordpress.com?s=NDTV
https://parwatisingari.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/sanitation-for-the-roadside-worker/
http://www.un.org/en/events/toiletday/
http://www.lifestyletodaynews.com/green-living/a-visit-to-one-of-the-weirdest-museums-in-the-world-the-toilet-museum/
Learning and Unlearning of Dr.Jekyll and Madam Hyde.
Parwatisingari's Weblog 
I’m still just trying to wrap my head around the fact that there is an official toilet day 🙂
🙂 well so was I. I was even more shocked that there was a “Potty museum.”
Nah, after hearing about the animal penis museum in Iceland, I’m expecting that 🙂😆
what!! that’s a new one, I wonder why travel bloggers don’t talk about it., now I have to check it out online.
It’s quite sad in the 21st century that we are still talking about toilets like they are a luxury and not as a standard. But I understand that in less well to do places, this is a way of life. I really hope things change, because sanitary-wise, it is important.
You have summed up everything so apt! Liked the title as well!
Thank You
This is a topic that needs more discussion and focus than currently given. Great post Parwati.
You bet at every health services meeting, and migrant worker issue I bring up this topic. Unfortunately I cannot do so in the tourism sector.
We must take it upon ourselves to leave the washrooms clean after usage
🙂 that sweetheart would be Utopia. Yes we individually do our two-bit I guess the issue will be partly resolved
superb and apt title.
Even as a modern woman I feel the bladder pressure. I make it a point of not drinking too much water if I have to step out.
Infact, Indian tourism is hampered majorly by lack of basic toilets. More than scenic joy or historical interest, my mind is preoccupied with finding a clean toilet during tours. Shame, isnt it?
btw, I don’t think western commodes go well with indian population, b’cos most such toilets have missing toilet paper, broken flush system and soiled seats. So unless managements can provide the above 3, Indian toilets are more hygienic.
sanitary towels and kids pooping add to the scenerio.