Experts Warn: 3.5 Billion People Lack Access to Safe Toilets, UN Reports
According to a recent United Nations (UN) report, an alarming number of 3.5 billion people across the globe are still living without access to safe toilets. Furthermore, about 419 million individuals still practice open defecation. The term safe toilet refers to a sanitation system that is managed securely, not shared with other households, and either treats or disposes of human waste on-site, stores it safely for proper disposal, or connects to a functioning sewer and treatment facility.
Unfortunately, the world is currently falling behind in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene predict that if current progress rates continue, by 2030, 3 billion people will still lack access to safe toilets, 2 billion people will lack safe drinking water, and 1.4 billion people will have no access to basic hygiene services.
In an effort to tackle the global sanitation crisis and address this issue, World Toilet Day has been celebrated annually on November 19 since 2013. The United Nations Observance, which was first initiated by the World Toilet Organization in 2001, aims to break taboos surrounding toilets and make sanitation a global development priority.
With less than seven years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, this year’s World Toilet Day is focused on accelerating change. The campaign encourages governments and major institutions to fulfill their promises and take swift action. To symbolize the call to action, the Hummingbird has been chosen as the emblem of World Toilet Day 2023. The Hummingbird’s significance lies in its portrayal in an ancient story, where it carries droplets of water to extinguish a forest fire. This tiny bird represents the power of taking action, no matter how small it may seem, to address substantial problems.
To accelerate change, individuals are urged to commit to specific actions. These actions include discussing the vital connection between toilets, water, and menstruation to break taboos, ensuring proper maintenance of toilets by fixing leaking water and waste pipes and arranging for the emptying of full septic tanks, and reporting sludge dumping incidents. Moreover, it is essential to avoid disposing of food waste, oils, medicines, and chemicals down the toilet or drains and to advocate for sufficient budget allocation towards improving water and sanitation facilities by writing to elected representatives.
India has been making significant efforts to improve sanitation conditions over the years. In 2015, nearly half of India’s population, totaling approximately 568 million people, lacked access to toilets, leading to open defecation. However, the country has made remarkable progress in combating this issue. The number of people practicing open defecation has significantly reduced by approximately 450 million individuals as of 2019.
India’s journey toward safe sanitation began in 1986 with the introduction of the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP), which focused solely on rural areas. Subsequently, initiatives like the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), Nirmal Gram Puraskar, Sampoorna Swachata Andolana Scheme, and others were introduced to strengthen sanitation efforts. In 2012, the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) was launched, aiming to provide 100% access to toilets in rural households by 2022. However, the program did not yield the desired results.
In 2014, the government reconceptualized the program, rebranding it as the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and introducing two sub-missions: Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). The goal was to achieve a clean and Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, 2019.
The government claims to have achieved the SBM’s target by constructing over 10 crore (100 million) toilets in rural areas, making rural India ODF. Additionally, 63.04 lakh (6.3 million) toilets have been constructed in urban areas, surpassing the target of 58.99 lakhs. Currently, 4,355 cities have achieved open defecation-free status.
While the focus has been on constructing toilets, it is equally important to ensure their optimal utilization. Sustaining the success of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan requires emphasis on proper waste management and capitalizing on the increased toilet coverage to improve people’s access to adequate sanitation facilities.
In conclusion, the UN’s warning about 3.5 billion people lacking safe toilets highlights the urgent need for action to address the global sanitation crisis. World Toilet Day 2023 aims to accelerate change and calls on governments and institutions to fulfill their commitments. Meanwhile, India has made significant strides in improving sanitation conditions, but it must now focus on sustaining these achievements and ensuring proper waste management to provide its population with access to adequate sanitation facilities.
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