Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Govt should provide toilets to all' that was published in Newsband

Govt should provide toilets to all

There is need for more toilets to stop open answering of nature’s call in India.  The country has to address this issue on a war-footing. In the absence of toilets, more than 620 million people, or over half of India’s population, are forced to practise open answering of nature’s call.

Financial incentives alone cannot end or drastically reduce the percentage of people continuing with this practice. If other countries have achieved it, there is no reason why India cannot do it. The need to aggressively address the issue cannot be overemphasised as open answering of nature’s call affects children, especially those below five, the most. This practice causes diarrhoea, one of the most common communicable diseases in India and a number one killer of young children. Children weakened by this disease are in turn more prone to opportunistic infections such as pneumonia.

This problem of open answering of nature’s call can only be controlled when the people first become aware about the ill effects of this practice. Agreed that the majority of population that answer nature’s call in open does not have the indoor toilet facility but most of them instead of using the community toilets like to answer nature’s call in open.

We gave importance to computers, roads, MNCs, mobile phones, TVs, FIIs, Stock Market, International standard Airports, etc. instead of the basic facilities to the people. Unless we elect people who is from the rank and file, who knows the daily pains of the common man, we will not get basic facilities.

There is need to spread awareness at the local levels by choosing local people who are trusted across all segements of the society. It will give some source of

livelihood to the small time workers and opportunities to small time business who can sell low cost latrine set-ups.

We must be ashamed of open answering of nature’s call, especially in the country, which is proud of its rich cultural heritage and long recorded history. One can come across even the coated, suited and booted men on the road doing the above act putting to shame the buffaloes and cows.

Almost all the villages are connected to their nearby towns/cities. Hence, there is already a considerable level of awareness with regard to need for stopping open answering of nature’s call.

Increasing budgeted amount for household toilets alone isn't going to change anything significantly. Open answering of nature’s call has been an Indian practice since a long time. Rural areas need to made aware of hazards of open answering of nature’s call. Without making rural people aware of the problem, they hardly will show interest in household toilets.

Government can come up with some ‘open answering of nature’s call’ awareness advertisements in channels which are seen in rural areas and organize awareness campaigns in rural areas. Doing all these things require strong willpower from the government, just increasing budgeted amount isn't going to change anything.

Open answering of nature’s call is a shame for India which boasts of giant industries and tremendous achievements in space science. No one respects a society where open answering of nature’s call is widely prevalent.