The Toilet Conundrum
- Essential Services
- by Savvy Soumya Misra
- 05 Oct, 2016
As the car negotiated a narrow bend on the highway, the driver swerved hard. At the turn was a child, not older than six or seven years old, squatting on the tarmac at the side of the road. Next to him was an older child. As the car turned (and nearly missed them), they looked like deers caught in the headlight. But they did not flinch. A truck approaching from the opposite end must have done what we did– swerved and moved on. We were on State Highway 92, somewhere in Banda in Uttar Pradesh, traveling from Hamirpur to Chitrakoot.
A little ahead as we passed settlements, in various stages of transition from a hamlet to a town, women walked in files with cans in hand. In the dark, guided by and avoiding the lights of the highway traffic, they were heading towards isolated patches a little away from the road. The women and children were out at this time for one thing. With either no toilets at homes or their disuse, the open fields, roadsides, farms, forests, any isolated patch for that matter becomes the defecating ground.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the rechristened Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) on October 2, 2014 the target was to build 12 crore toilets by October 2019. On the last count (i.e. its second anniversary), only 2 crore toilets have been built. According to the official website, 55.40% of households in rural India have individual household toilets and 90,006 villages are now open defecation free. Under the Abhiyan, Uttar Pradesh had covered 44.64% rural households; Banda, the district we were crossing, had 56% coverage while the district we were going to, Chitrakoot, had a mere 26.6% coverage1.
The progress has been slow; back of the envelope calculations show that the rate at which toilets are being built the mission is likely to miss the target by decades. The point however is even if we reach the target (whenever that is), will it be successful. Since the state government gives Rs 12,000 for constructing toilets (half the amount is paid in advance, the other half after completion of work) it is easy to spot toilet stalls in the villages and towns. Brick and mortar enclosures, some completed and others in different stages of completion, with door and roof made of asbestos sheets are conspicuous outside homes or on the corner of roofs.
But do people actually use the toilets. Has building toilets ensured that they use it too?
The children squatting by the roadside reminded me of a conversation I had had earlier in the day with a few parents. It was at a primary school in a village in Hamirpur. Anyhow, the parents were furious at the teachers for keeping the toilet of the school locked. The parents came down like a ton of bricks on the teachers and said that because the toilet was locked at all times the students went in the open outside of the school premises and often wandered off.
Though locked toilets remain a reality in almost all rural schools, the toilet we visited was open. At least, it was open on the day of our visit. The students informed that the toilet was opened everyday but because there was no running water the students preferred to go out. The toilet was clean on the day of our visit, but the teachers said that the safai karamchari wasn’t regular and so toilets had to be locked up if it was dirty. And also to keep animals from ambling in.
Speaking of dirty toilets, the state of toilet in a girl’s residential school at Rayagada in Odisha, I visited a couple of years ago, was appalling, to say the least. My request to use the toilet was met by frenzied activity. A couple of older students were pulled out of their class, a few hushed instructions later they rushed towards the toilet complex (the areas had about 8 toilet stalls) with a bucket of water and a brush. Once fixed, I was shown the toilets. The state of the toilet was, at best, dilapidated. All the stalls were locked barring the one that has been ‘cleaned’. The roof was missing, the walls were mossy, with everything from creepers to fungi growing on it, and the floor was infested with huge spiders. The toilet had never been cleaned and was a storehouse of diseases. The residential school housed about 50 girl students; the condition of the toilets were telltale signs of its disuse and the girls going to the open field instead. I was, myself, later advised to try the fields instead in these parts!
Anyways, back to Hamirpur which, by the way, has 63.04% coverage in the rural areas. The parents insisted that it was entirely the teachers’ fault that the children did not use the toilet. I was then compelled to ask whether they had toilets at their homes, if the children were used to going in them and if it was only in the school that they were denied access to toilets. The answer was a muffled ‘No’. Some had toilets but they still went out, others were yet to make the toilets. (In some places toilets have been used as storehouse instead). With not much of role models at home, it is a tad unfair to blame teachers entirely and expect children to drop old habits and pick up new ones.
At the school, most of the children, during the break headed towards a two feet wide alleyway between two blocks of the single-storeyed school. Closer to the passage one could smell urine. The 10 feet long alleyway, was open and ran up to the school boundary. There was a squatting pan at the far end. Most of the students preferred this. “But even if we go out, we always come back to our class,” said one of the students.
It is evident that while shaking off old habits aren’t easy, the designs of toilets aren’t helping matters either. A teacher from the neighbouring boys’ primary school, pointing to a toilet outside a house, said “These toilets are so small and hot that it is impossible to expect anyone to sit inside. There is no running water or a proper sewerage system. People try for a couple of times and then revert to their old habits.”
The next day, at Chakla village in Chitrakoot we were at a meeting of the Dalit Mahila Samiti members. On broaching the topic, all of them first said they had toilets at home and used it. Gradually, they opened up. “The toilets are not attached to a sewerage system, instead are attached to a septic tank. These septic tanks are just six feet deep. This is too small and will fill up in no time. They should be bigger,” said Sona.
Chipping in, Geeta, Pradhan of Chakla village, says that there is no running water in these toilets. “When water is used in these septic tanks, they usually let off a lot of noxious gases which makes it impossible to sit in. In fact, some homes that have used these toilets have a strong, fetid smell around where the toilets are built.”
Then there remains the question of who will clean these septic tanks? There is a concern that the government is promoting manual scavenging, while there is a huge movement to abolish it, in the rush to meet targets. This is tricky and shall be addressed later, perhaps in the next piece.
Clearly, the government needs to make the toilets a more feasible and sustainable option. Instead of deploying drones to spot open defecators (a sort of naming and shaming) as is being recently proposed by the Yamunanagar district administration in Haryana2 , the state government should invest both money and ideas in addressing structural issues and concerns of the people.
Written by: Savvy Soumya Misra, Research Coordinator- Development Practices, Oxfam India
___________________________
1http://sbm.gov.in/sbmdashboard/Default.aspx
2 http://www.deccanherald.com/content/571372/drones-spot-open-defecators.html
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Her Series - Tale of Buguru Chitamma: How a cooperative transformed fisher women into leaders
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Why the CAF bill conflicts with the Forest Rights Act?
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Renew to Live Anew
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
What do we want: Health as a ‘Right’ or just an ‘Assurance’
Nov 18, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oxfam International signs historic deal to move to Nairobi, Kenya
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Why is passing the Women’s Reservation Bill urgent?
Nov 18, 2019 | oxfamadmin
BREXIT & What It Means for Humanitarian Aid
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Rahul Bose: Films should be gender sensitive
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Portrait of a Teacher: Successful introduction of multi-lingual education for Odisha’s tribal communities
Nov 6, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Tax dodging is a crime against developing countries
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Signs of social risks impacting Indian businesses
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Tikamgarh revisited, what’s happened to the amazing fishing communities I visited in 2006?
Jan 9, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Where school means freedom
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Yes, Prime Minister
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
India’s National Budget 2016-17: Missed Opportunity to Address Inequality?
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Free The Night
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Woman, Open Your Eyes…
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
From Darbhanga to Davos: Access to Affordable Medicine Still Remains a Key Question
Dec 16, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Hoping for a Second Chance: Punita Devi
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Activating Youth in Lucknow to Promote Girls’ Education
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Change is Coming: Rani Bitti’s Story
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Rachna’s Fight for Justice
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
3 Key Observations from #WEF2016 that Indian Businesses Must Take Note Of
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Here’s Why States Need to Provide Free Basic Medicines
Nov 18, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Update: Oxfam to Provide Shelter to 300 Households Hit by The Manipur Earthquake
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
In El Salvador, a struggle to survive El Niño
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Bihar designs a 15-year roadmap to reduce risk of disaster
Feb 20, 2020 | ursila
Violence as an Effective Mode of “Indian” Communication
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Because it’s 2015!
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Let’s welcome a new dawn, minus domestic violence
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Data and Discrimination: Women’s Ownership of Assets in India
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
“No Woman, No Cry!”
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Pushing, pulling and the power of people: new horizons for corporate responsibility?
Jan 9, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Yes bank - say to inclusive and social banking and inclusive business model
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Creating shared value through inclusive business
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
TATA consultancy services – empowering farmers with mobile technology
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
What the CSR numbers don’t tell
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
6 important things companies need to do to be inclusive
Nov 21, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Why businesses need to invest in creating a productive population for a sustainable future
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Jaipur rugs – weaving the lives of the poor into the global markets. an inclusive business model.
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
The next 15 years: highlighting the role of the private sector in development
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Emphasizing a human rights-based approach to inclusiveness in business
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Privatising Forests: A Bad Idea
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Adoption of Agenda 2030: 17 SDGs for 15 years
Nov 15, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Five questions about the #GlobalGoals you were too embarrassed to ask
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Last mile smile
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Social responsibility of companies should not stop at 2%
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
In ‘campaign mode’, states flout FRA rules
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
“I will not leave my forest. I will keep my jungle”
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Healthcare for all in India: When, How, and Why RSBY?
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Where is the nutrition? Ask pregnant women in a village of Bihar
Jan 9, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Learning to read at schools, but where are the textbooks?
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Progressive tax norms must underlie financing of the Sustainable Development Goals
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Teachers needed! Government schools are falling behind due to lack of funds
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Protect and expand India’s public healthcare system: The inequality imperative
Dec 16, 2019 | oxfamadmin
“On My Second Day At School, A Kid Asked Me What Caste I Was”
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
India’s missing girls: A tale of healthcare neglect faced by girls
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Should we only give attention to women’s health on International day of action?
Nov 18, 2019 | oxfamadmin
No respite for 72-year-old Sitaram, a month after #NepalEarthquake
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
One month on, education of children still jolted by Nepal earthquake
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
New worry for Nepal; landslides, floods may block relief work
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Monsoon preview in Kathmandu blows away shelters in relief camp
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Last mile distribution of relief supplies is biggest challenge in Nepal: Indian ambassador
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
When Delhi’s Streets Buzzed with ‘Haq Banta Hai’
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Lack of water, toilets making things worse for women in Nepal
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oxfam India gets government approval to respond to #NepalEarthquake in 28 hours
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Desperation creeping in, people in Nepal wait for aid
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
#OxfaminNepal: “More than 60,000 litres of water has been provided till now”
Oct 7, 2019 | Avantika
Political (and some other) priorities in Nepal as of 28 April 2015
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
#Nepal Earthquake: “The death toll has crossed 2000 and this is just the beginning”
Jan 9, 2020 | oxfamadmin
#NepalEarthquake: It is going to be a long road to recovery
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Money Matters!
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
All for Education, Education for All
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
When schools continue to exclude, can education reduce caste discrimination in India?
Feb 20, 2020 | oxfamadmin
Ensuring the right to education, forming bonds for life
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
How can India send a spaceship to Mars but not educate its children?
Sep 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
India wins in cricket, but losing out on education
Sep 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oxfam's 'Even it up' report a must read lesson on Inequality
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
It’s time to understand ‘womanhood is beyond maternity’
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
The True Measure of Land's Value
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
The “Ten-thousand Committee”: Reviving VHSNCs in Jharkhand
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Singing their way out of child marriage
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Land Acquisition bill tests government’s pro-poor stance
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Breaking the silence, standing tall
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Making a Song and Dance about Child Marriage
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Let’s Talk About Sex
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Mobile technology solutions could be a game changer for maternal health: Scribes
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Missing Girls: The Puzzling Domestic Violence Agenda
Oct 3, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Her Ghar: A right to residence for every woman
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Considering Gender: A Mediaperson’s Guide to Covering Disasters
Dec 16, 2019 | oxfamadmin
True Grit
Apr 5, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Violence against women and star power: Does their magic wand work?
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Having Those Difficult Conversations
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Day of the Man: guarding the china shop
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Gender parity needs to begin at home with mother’s guardianship rights!
Sep 9, 2019 | oxfamadmin
It’s a Girl!
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Let’s Help End Domestic Violence!
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
A Few Good Men
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Promises to keep—Implementation of PWDV Act in Odisha
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Make 16 Days of Activism an Everyday Practice
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Witch-Hunting: A less talked about form of Violence Against Women
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Markets Also Discriminate
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Let’s Talk About Domestic Violence!
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Getting Serious about Ending Violence against Women and Girls
Oct 3, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Right to a Violence Free Life
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
It’s all about the money
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
‘It’s No Longer Funny': The Funding Wars That’ll Dictate Our Future
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Girl, Interrupted
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
16 Pictures From Imagining Inequality That WiIl Tell You The Truth #evenitup
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
These 8 Goals Were Set To Develop The World, But 14 Years Since, This Is Where We Stand
Dec 5, 2019 |
A Look At The Year 2029: What Kind Of Legacy Will We Leave Behind For Our Future Generations?
Nov 18, 2019 |
These 8 Goals Were Set To Develop The World, But 14 Years Since, This Is Where We Stand
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
BRICS bank a necessary step, but needs more transparency
Sep 9, 2019 |
Short term memory and Long term needs!
Oct 7, 2019 |
A people’s budget has to go beyond...
Oct 24, 2019 |
National Shame, National Failure
Sep 27, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Oxfam India pledges its support to #BringBackOurGirls
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Closing the Gap on Gender: Is India up for the challenge?
Nov 15, 2019 | oxfamadmin
She tills, she sows, but she does not own
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Take a pause: what do the Uttrakhand floods tell us about India’s development model?
Sep 10, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Saving lives on sharp turning roads
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
They do mind the gap
Oct 7, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Right to Education, still a long way to go.
Oct 1, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Can We Close the Gap on Women's Inequality in India?
Oct 30, 2019 | oxfamadmin
Breaking Old Barriers and Building New Alliances for Food Justice in India and Globally
Oct 24, 2019 | oxfamadmin
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