India "missing" 3.75 crore toilets: sanitation activists

 Sanitation activists today observed 'World Toilet Day' and alleged that 3.75 crore lavatories in India as claimed by Ministry for Rural Development did not exist and were "missing".

Activists of Right to Sanitation (RTS) Campaign's India chapter demanded an inquiry into the "huge gap" in the number of toilets existing on the field and the number provided in the data by the Rural Development Ministry and Census 2011.

On the occasion, the activists organised a range of programmes across 14 states around the theme of 'missing toilets' and 'crisis of sanitation' in the country.

Various groups including Action India, Rashtriya Dalit Mahila Andolan, National Confederation of Dalit Organisations, Safai Karmchari Andolan, etc also demanded for the enactment of the law to provide constitutional status to the Right to Sanitation so that it becomes a legal civil right.

They also stressed that special focus should be accorded for the availability of toilets for women, disabled and aged in public spaces. "The socially excluded communities such as Dalits and adivasis should be covered totally as an emergency," the activists said.

Volunteers organised signature campaigns around metro stations in the central part of the city and highlighted the accessibility of toilets by the disabled people.

Representatives from the slums and resettlement colonies demanded the maintenance of existing toilets and construction of new toilets. Women from some colonies also shared that they have just 44 seat public toilets for a population of 29,000.

According to the activists, the women shared with them the "incidents of violence" that they face when they go for open defecation or use public toilets.

"These women demand sanitation services for their dignity, health and development," a sanitation activist said.

A group of children also staged a play on their problems related to availability and accessibility of toilets.

Campaigns were organised in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Gujrat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu.

India is the global capital in terms of people going for open defecation. Rural sanitation coverage is still around 30 per cent (Census 2011) and the budget allocation is about 0.04 per cent of our GDP

Source: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-11-19/news/44242708_1_toilets-open-defecation-sanitation

Alert For HFMD DISEASE IN SCHOOL

What is Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD)

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a human syndrome caused by intestinal viruses of the picornaviridae family. The most common strains causing HFMD are coxsackie A virus and enterovirus 71 EV-71 .

HFMD is a contagious illness caused by different viruses . Although older children & adults affected by the disease but children below 5 year age are more likely to get affected .

HFMD usually affects infants and children, and is quite common. It is moderately contagious and is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, or feces of an infected person. It typically occurs in small epidemics in nursery schools or kindergartens, usually during the summer and autumn months. The usual incubation period is 3–7 days.

It is less common in adults; however, it is still possible to catch it especially if never exposed to the virus previously. HFMD is not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease (also called hoof-and-mouth disease), a separate disease affecting sheep, cattle, and swine (both are caused by members of the picornaviridae family, but are not trans-communicable between humans and livestock).

Symptoms of HFMD

Fever,Fatigue,Malaise,Sore throat,

Painful oral, nasal, or facial lesions, ulcers or blisters

Body rash, followed by sores with blisters on palms of hand, soles of feet, and sometimes on the lips. The rash is rarely itchy for children, but can be extremely itchy for adults.Sores or blisters may be present on the buttocks of small children and infants Irritability in infants and toddlers

Loss of appetite

Diarrhea

There is no specific treatment for hand, foot and mouth disease.

Treament of  HFMD

The only way to ease from this disease is adopting hygiene practices .People should always maintain good hygiene practices . The only way to avoid this disease is to adopt good hygiene and sanitation practices.



Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand,_foot_and_mouth_disease
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/govt-sounds-alert-for-foot-and-mouth-disease-in-schools/article5194842.ece

Picture Source: http://heeals.org/