Mahatma Gandhi considered sanitation and the condition of toilets to be a crucial part of personal and public hygiene, social reform and even a key step toward achieving independence. He famously stated a lavatory should be as clean as a drawing room, and that “sanitation is more important than political independence.”
His ideas on sanitation continue to inspire modern initiatives, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Campaign), which aims to achieve open-defecation-free communities through toilet construction and behavioural change.
In simple, sanitation is a human right. It protects everyone’s dignity, and transforms the lives of women and girls. Sanitation requires sufficient investment, and better governance is critical for a fairer, more peaceful world. This essential space, at the centre of our daily lives, should be safe and secure. But for billions of people, sanitation is under threat from conflict, climate change, disasters and neglect.
Then we are reminded by that ‘Safe toilets for all by 2030’ is one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6. But the world as well our nation, our city are well off track. Month after month, families around the world spend hours collecting water. And 3.5 billion people in our planet still live without safely-managed sanitation, including 419 million who practise open defecation.
Billions of people will lack access to these basic services in 2030 unless progress quadruples. Demand for toilets would be on the rise owing to rapid population growth, urbanisation and increasing demand for water needs in agriculture, industry, and energy sectors. The situation will become more challenging with toilet systems not working or non-existent and untreated human waste spreading in the environment, unleashing deadly diseases such as cholera.
During one of my international visits for a research outcome presentation, I met a professor who invited me for lunch at the university. Little did I know about the professor until I arrived at the university. The professor greeted me and went into the toilet with a novel. In his absence, I explored the bookshelf and found out that this professor is a Nobel Laureate.
When he was back, I asked him why he had carried a book into a toilet. He laughed and said, ‘You don’t get eureka moments under an apple tree… majority of our out-of-box ideas pop up in the toilet, or the restroom. Being an urban planner, I am always hungry for out-of-classroom education. With the advice of the professor, I went into the toilet for an experience of a lifetime. The restroom welcomed me with an artificial environment like soothing lights, smell of flowers, and light music in the background of some birds. It was beyond my imagination that in an academic building, a toilet could give me the feel of a garden, when the norm in India is a stinking toilet which instead of welcoming you, pushes you out.
We went for a walk towards the cafeteria for lunch. The professor showed me how the output of toilets helps the university in producing healthy vegetables that we are going to eat. Everything that I experienced made me feel I am in Indrapuri. Then the professor explained some of my questions like how there can be a toilet without wet floor or flushing of water. It was interesting to see integration of research, technology, innovation working for society. This was my experience about a decade and a half ago, when an unplanned interaction helped me understand how science and urban planning can work towards betterment of our cities.
Back in hometown Bhubaneswar, a decade ago around World Toilet Day, a survey of academic institutions didn’t surprise me at all. Forget carrying a novel into the toilet, a majority of professors said they planned their academic schedule in such a manner that they go back to their home for toilet. In case of emergency, they use the toilet in their workspace, and move out of urinals in a matter of minutes. Even research found majority of professors faced health issues linking with urinals or toilets.
Another survey found a majority of women expressing that they manage by visiting the toilet after returning home in the afternoon or evening. Some visit nearby relatives’ homes or malls or hotels to avoid toilets in workspace. Overall, it is still a subject which is hardly discussed in public, and it’s quite obvious how much it impacts working culture. It’s easier for an Indian to go abroad and focus on Nobel-level research, which they can’t do in India.
Investments in infrastructure and sanitation facilities, protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems, and hygiene and sanitation. But that day will arrive only when our decision makers focus on a shift from blue-eyed consultants driven public toilet planning and management to innovation crazy qualitative than copycat quantitative approach. That day would herald a real historic moment for all of us.
Civil society organisations should work to keep governments accountable, invest in water research and development, and promote the inclusion of women, youth and indigenous communities in water resources governance. Generating awareness of these roles and turning them into action will lead to a win-win situation and increased sustainability and integrity for both human and ecological systems.
We need to understand the importance of toilet in our life, and reimagine the way we saw public toilet.
Governments must ensure that sanitation and water services are resilient, effective, accessible for everyone, and shielded from harm. World Toilet Day is an opportunity to highlight the essential role of safe toilets and sanitation systems in building a fairer, healthier and more peaceful world.
Health starts with access to a toilet, yet today two out of every five people in the world lack access to one. They risk their health and safety looking for a private place to go to.
On this World Toilet Day, let’s hope such a day arrives in our neighbourhood.
