Cleanliness in India: Open Defecation for Toilets

by RunBugz India RunBugz India

Cleanliness is a Latin word meaning health. The main purpose of cleanliness is to preserve the health of the community by keeping it clean around us. Therefore a proper system of cleanliness is required in towns and villages.

India is a magnificent country with vivid cultures and traditions. It is a developing nation which has many possibilities like developed nations. Although India is growing at a very fast pace when it comes to technology, tourism lacks it when it comes to sanitary conditions.

Cleanliness is a multiple problem in India. The lack of urban planning, large numbers of people migrating to cities to find work, increasing slum population, lack of water above it, lack of education and homelessness all add to this problem.

Sanitation conditions in India

When we talk about the state of rural sanitation in India, more than 70% of Indians living in villages defecate in the open or only have access to poor sanitation facilities. Poor sanitation facilities refer to public toilets that do not work or are not connected to sewage systems. Most villages lack waste disposal and drainage systems and many people in villages are unaware of the consequences of poor sanitation and unhygienic conditions.

As a result, many people suffer and even die from diseases caused by unhealthy behavior of personal and environmental hygiene. There is a major lack of knowledge to use the toilet to maintain public toilets, easy supply of water and of course personal hygiene. Lack of hygiene causes substantial health issues between adults and children. Women's hygiene is also compromised. According to a survey, only 30% of rural households have their own toilets and less than half of Indian households have toilets. The percentage of households with mobile phones and TVs in rural India is higher than the percentage of households with toilet facilities. In 2014, Prime Minister Modi announced the Swachh Bharat Mission to end open defecation by 2019.

In many urban cities, there is no garbage collection system and garbage is dumped in open spaces along the roads. Cleanliness outside homes, schools, public places and railway stations is quite frightening. Most of our railway stations stink because human waste is dumped on the tracks. Toilets in malls and shops are not well maintained.

The Change

Nevertheless, there can be significant changes in the sanitary conditions of India. People are waking up to build toilets in their homes, toilets in public places. Clean and better designed toilets are also being sought in railway coaches. Most importantly, there is a huge demand for clean toilets. The government and many private NGOs are working on educating personal hygiene, women's personal hygiene and toilet hygiene. Big revolutionary companies like RunBugz are participating in the Swachh Bharat campaign and contributing to spread awareness about clean toilet seats with their innovative sanitizing products like toilet seat sanitizer spray.

From open defecation to using RunBugz Toilet Seat Sanitizer, India is certainly in its evolutionary phase.