Water of Life: India’s step towards eradicating water-borne diseases

With rapid urbanization of India, as well as a steadily increasing population, there is a tremendous pressure on the Indian government to provide safe drinking water and sanitary services to more than 266 million who are living in towns and cities. The health conditions that are associated with lack of safe drinking water and sanitation are reflected in high rates of stunting, malnutrition, and death from water-borne diseases. Most of the water-borne diseases are caused by poor sanitation practices, as nearly half of India’s 1.2 billion people have no toilet at home and 44% of the mothers disposing their children’s feces in the open. According to The World Bank, 21% of the India’s communicable diseases are water-borne, and children under the age of 5 are particularly vulnerable.

The WASH campaign by the UNICEF is one of the key steps through which interdependent issues of water, sanitation and hygiene were addressed. Additionally, Swacch Bharat Mission (Clean India Campaign) was initiated by the USAID and India jointly on January 13^th, 2015 where USAID signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Urban Development to contribute to realization of India’s vision of availability of clean water and sanitation for all. The plan includes:

1. developing monitoring and evaluation framework to support program implementation

2. facilitate capacity building

3. develop communication strategies between different government and private institutions

Additionally, urban WASH Alliance is being set up that will allow a platform for India’s public and private sectors to implement and scale innovative water and sanitation projects and campaigns in India’s major cities in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. In the Delhi area, USAID and Government of Delhi are working in underserved areas to provide water and sanitation infrastructures. The aim is to reach more than 40,000 households in approximately 60 slums, with setup of 4,000 individual toilets and safe drinking water for 10,000 households.

Our organization, Heeals, has been at the forefront of implementing hygiene programs in underserved communities. It works with schools and underserved communities to bring about changes in attitude and knowledge towards these issues, that are often a matter of taboo especially among the females. Further Heeals helps to bring resources such as soaps, building safe places for defecation, and working with local authorities in bring clean water in these communities.

-Payel

Volunteer

Reference:

http://unicef.in/Story/1125/Water--Environment-and-Sanitation

https://www.usaid.gov/india/water-and-sanitation

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/multimedia/2002/ind_sanitation/en/

  

WHY BUILDING TOILETS IS NOT ENOUGH TO STOP OPEN DEFECATION

On 2nd October 2014 Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission. The aim is to eliminate the practice of open defecation by October 2019 by constructing 12 million toilets in rural India.

However, building sanitation facilities is not enough to stop open defecation. As well as the providing of sanitation facilities, it must be ensured that they are in working condition, they must be kept clean and maintained properly. Dirty facilities become unused facilities. That is why creating awareness and understanding among people of the importance of the use and maintenance of sanitation facilities is fundamental. If people do not understand the importance of having, using and maintaining clean toilets, there will not be a behaviour change. Maintenance and use of facilities are great challenges.

Let us take the example of a public school of a village in Western Uttar Pradesh where recently new sanitation facilities have been built. Toilets are separated for boys and girls and seem to be functioning. However, taking a closer look at the inside of the sanitation facilities it is impossible not to notice that the hygienic conditions of the toilets are not appropriate; the floor is wet and dirty and there is no disposal for used sanitary napkins. That is when I have learnt that the people of the village in charge of the cleaning do not carry out properly their work and that the dust bin has been stolen from the toilets.

If toilets are not clean, there is a higher risk of infections and diseases. It can also happen that children would not be inclined to use them. As for girls going to school in their period, it is fundamental to have a place for the disposal of used sanitary napkins to ensure they can change them regularly and without feeling uncomfortable. Toilets need to be cleaned and provided with the essential tools. Attendance of children, particularly girls, improves when they can use good sanitation facilities. Children need to be taught to use, clean and maintain facilities. In addition, people that are in charge of cleaning have to understand the importance and necessity of proper hygienic conditions of toilets.

Creating awareness of the issue is the way to ensure the success of the Clean India Mission. There is no possibility for a behaviour change without it. Especially in the rural area, where is concentrated the 68.85% of the population, is important to make a change since 61% of the population still defecates outside, against the 10% living in the urban area. Open defecation is still practiced even if toilets has been provided. To solve this issue, awareness must be created among all the community. Maintaining clean sanitation facilities is a responsibility of every citizen and it requires the participation of everyone. Behaviour change and communication programmes are much more important than building toilets.

NGOs like Heeals are a fundamental part in the mobilisation and support of local groups. Organising workshops and other educational activities are an effective way to educate children and to include families and members of the community in the awareness process. They can help to develop shared norms in the community and to understand and support hygiene improvement in schools. Awareness raising and promotion in the community is the key for a successful result. 

-Heeals Intern

Sources:

INDIA 2016, A Reference Annual, Compiled by New Media Wing, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 2016.

https://www.wssinfo.org/documents/?tx_displaycontroller[type]=country_files

http://www.wsp.org/Hygiene-Sanitation-Water-Toolkit/Resources/Readings/IRC_swashh[1].resourcebook.pdf

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/swachh-bharat-abhiyaan-government-builds-7-1-lakh-toilets-in-january/articleshow/46269612.cms?intenttarget=no

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/modi-launches-my-clean-india-campaign/article6468047.ece