Chennai: The presence of a functioning toilet is not reason enough for people to stop open defecation nor does the present government’s policy of a subsidy-based approach to make toilets, for the country continues to lag behind its poorer counterparts in sanitation.
On World Toilet Day on Wednesday here in the city, experts in sanitation highlighted various issues associated with sanitation in the country, which accounts for 60 per cent of open defecation in the world.
In TN, 60 per cent of the population in rural areas and 25 per cent in urban do not have access or choose not to use toilets, add experts.
They further add that there are socio-cultural issues attached to open defecation and a single strategy of blindly making more toilets will not solve the problem.
Vinod Mishra, national coordinator, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, says, “In all, 80 lakh more families have resorted to open defecation between 2001 and 2011. According to the Centre, 70 per cent of the population has toilets, but the census says it’s only 32 per cent. Corruption and misrepresentation of data are major flaws in the system.”
Since 1985 the Centre has implemented four programmes related to sanitation. And yet the country lags behind. “In Pakistan, 56 per cent of population is open defecation-free, in Nepal 86 per cent, and Bhutan 95 per cent.” There is a 6.4 per cent loss to the GDP due to sanitation woes manifesting in poverty and malnourishment.
Rajendra Ratnoo, director of town panchayats, says, “There have been studies suggesting that people who have been defecating in the open find toilets claustrophobic. Hence, even the behavioural aspect of toilet use has to be considered. Even while building a toilet its location and distance from the settlement has to be well researched.”
The government provides a subsidy of Rs 10,000 for each individual household to build a toilet. State planning commission vice-chairperson, Santha Sheela Nair says toilet making must involve having a safe disposal system, be affordable and pollution free.
