Extending Sanitation Facilities

7.7 Extending Sanitation Facilities

Description

Quick Overview

The section discusses the importance of sanitation facilities in preventing waterborne diseases and the challenges faced, particularly in India, regarding access and coverage.

Standard

This section highlights the critical role of sanitation in public health, revealing that sanitation coverage in India is lower than that of drinking water. With only 53 percent of households having access to toilet facilities, it emphasizes the innovative efforts of NGOs like Sulabh in enhancing sanitation access for lower-income communities.

Detailed

Extending Sanitation Facilities

This section addresses the crucial role sanitation plays in public health, particularly in preventing water-borne diseases. Despite 87 percent of Indian households having access to drinking water, only 53 percent have proper sanitation facilities, indicating a significant gap in public health infrastructure. The majority of those lacking sanitation are from poor rural and urban areas.

An NGO named Sulabh has been pivotal in improving sanitation, with over 8,500 community toilet blocks and 1.5 million household toilets constructed, providing access to approximately 20 million people, primarily in low-income groups. Sulabh operates through partnerships with local authorities, receiving government funds and land to build these facilities—with maintenance often covered by user fees.

This section not only highlights the challenges but also explores the impact of inadequate sanitation on communities, especially focusing on how women and girls are disproportionately affected. Ultimately, it underscores that while the right to sanitation is recognized, persistent inequalities in access must be addressed to enhance public health.

Key Concepts

  • Sanitation is essential for public health and disease prevention.

  • The majority of India's poorer population lacks access to proper sanitation facilities.

  • NGOs like Sulabh play an essential role in developing sanitation infrastructure.

  • Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the lack of sanitation facilities.

Memory Aids

🎵 Rhymes Time

  • Clean hands and a clean space, keep diseases out of place.

📖 Fascinating Stories

  • Once upon a time, in a village with no toilets, lives changed when Sulabh brought clean sanitation; no more open waste, just health and happiness and gratitude.

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • WASH: Water, Access, Sanitation, Health – key elements in public health.

🎯 Super Acronyms

SULABH

  • Sanitation
  • Upliftment
  • Lives
  • And Better Health.

Examples

  • The construction of community toilets by Sulabh providing access to millions in India.

  • Statistics indicating that only 53% of Indians have access to sanitation compared to 87% for drinking water.

Glossary of Terms

  • Term: Sanitation

    Definition:

    Provision of facilities for the safe disposal of human waste, including toilets and sewage systems.

  • Term: Community Toilet

    Definition:

    Public toilets built for communal use, often to serve low-income areas.

  • Term: NGO

    Definition:

    Non-Governmental Organization, a non-profit group that is independent from government influence.

  • Term: Waterborne Diseases

    Definition:

    Diseases caused by pathogens in water, often due to inadequate sanitation.

  • Term: User Fees

    Definition:

    Charges imposed on individuals for using public services, like toilets.