The Indian government recently announced fines of up to 5,000 rupees
($80.25) for those caught defecating along the railway tracks, long an
unpleasant sight for Indian travelers. But the state of sanitation in
India remains dire, leaving some little choice but to go in the open.
As once happened in the West, India is moving from open defecation to outhouses to indoor toilets, but progress is slow. Some 130 million households lack toilets and a recent government survey showed that only 32 percent of rural households have toilets.
The benefits of toilets are many; they include safety, privacy, reduction of pollution, reduction of disease and infant mortality. Building them is not only a human rights priority, but also an environmental necessity, and one that would bring business benefits.
One major reason why sanitation has become such a major issue is that it is dependent on the provision of water. Households in India, even those of the rich, are not supplied 24/7 with municipal water. One can only imagine the situation of those living in the slums and rural India.
In many parts of the country, not only is surface water polluted, but also the ground water has been depleted if not ruined by pollution. This weakens the efforts of universal sanitation and acceptance of toilets. There is an urgent need to treat water before it can be supplied. Setting up such systems would make communities water independent and ensure that the toilets are used for the purpose built.
Toilets would need to be plugged into a larger drainage system. This would imply expenditure on constructing and maintaining sewers. It would necessarily segue into increasing the capacity of the existing dysfunctional sewage treatment plants. Installing community treatment systems would go a long way in reducing costs and ensuring waste water is properly treated.
This is a market that needs to be tapped if India is going to achieve total sanitation. The Indian water and wastewater treatment market is touted to be worth a potential $1.2 billion. However, the treatment being looked at currently is based on large effluent treatment plants.
The market potential for community-based waste treatment systems stems from their ability to treat waste water at source and then provide water for use in the community. Another positive is the decrease in infrastructure and maintenance cost.
Sanitation would also entail personal hygiene which means use of products like soap and even toilet cleaners. With the construction of toilets, the toilet owner becomes a bigger consumer.
In India, one sees many advertisements about the need to wash hands. These are not only created by the government but also by companies promoting their products. However, open defecation reduces the use of soap, whereas toilets can easily provide it. The construction of toilets will not only increase the consumer base but will also increase the number of literal toiletries that can be consumed.
The construction of toilets makes socio-economic sense for many reasons. As well as ensuring dignity, toilets will reduce sickness and therefore ensure less expenditure on health, increase number of working days, and enhance the security of women. It also makes business sense because it opens new markets, creates employment and can reduce migration to urban areas.
The Indian government and Indian corporations need to see the provision of toilets as a sound business measure. It's only then that the vast country will achieve universal sanitation.
The author is the author of 1400 Bananas, 76 Towns & 1 Million People. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn. Follow him on Twitter at @samirwrites
Published in http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/913991.shtml
As once happened in the West, India is moving from open defecation to outhouses to indoor toilets, but progress is slow. Some 130 million households lack toilets and a recent government survey showed that only 32 percent of rural households have toilets.
The benefits of toilets are many; they include safety, privacy, reduction of pollution, reduction of disease and infant mortality. Building them is not only a human rights priority, but also an environmental necessity, and one that would bring business benefits.
One major reason why sanitation has become such a major issue is that it is dependent on the provision of water. Households in India, even those of the rich, are not supplied 24/7 with municipal water. One can only imagine the situation of those living in the slums and rural India.
In many parts of the country, not only is surface water polluted, but also the ground water has been depleted if not ruined by pollution. This weakens the efforts of universal sanitation and acceptance of toilets. There is an urgent need to treat water before it can be supplied. Setting up such systems would make communities water independent and ensure that the toilets are used for the purpose built.
Toilets would need to be plugged into a larger drainage system. This would imply expenditure on constructing and maintaining sewers. It would necessarily segue into increasing the capacity of the existing dysfunctional sewage treatment plants. Installing community treatment systems would go a long way in reducing costs and ensuring waste water is properly treated.
This is a market that needs to be tapped if India is going to achieve total sanitation. The Indian water and wastewater treatment market is touted to be worth a potential $1.2 billion. However, the treatment being looked at currently is based on large effluent treatment plants.
The market potential for community-based waste treatment systems stems from their ability to treat waste water at source and then provide water for use in the community. Another positive is the decrease in infrastructure and maintenance cost.
Sanitation would also entail personal hygiene which means use of products like soap and even toilet cleaners. With the construction of toilets, the toilet owner becomes a bigger consumer.
In India, one sees many advertisements about the need to wash hands. These are not only created by the government but also by companies promoting their products. However, open defecation reduces the use of soap, whereas toilets can easily provide it. The construction of toilets will not only increase the consumer base but will also increase the number of literal toiletries that can be consumed.
The construction of toilets makes socio-economic sense for many reasons. As well as ensuring dignity, toilets will reduce sickness and therefore ensure less expenditure on health, increase number of working days, and enhance the security of women. It also makes business sense because it opens new markets, creates employment and can reduce migration to urban areas.
The Indian government and Indian corporations need to see the provision of toilets as a sound business measure. It's only then that the vast country will achieve universal sanitation.
The author is the author of 1400 Bananas, 76 Towns & 1 Million People. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn. Follow him on Twitter at @samirwrites
Published in http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/913991.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment