Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

Here’s an addition to Kalam’s Vision 2020: Make the nation a champion of good sanitation and hygiene practices!

Posted : June 25, 2004 at 1:52 pm [IST]

Almost every house unit at Mohenjo-daro was equipped
with a private bathing area with drains to take
the dirty water out into a larger drain that
emptied into a sewage drain. Many of these bathing
areas had water tight floors to keep moisture from seeping
into the other rooms nearby or below

Villages refuse to use in-home toilets, find open fields more inviting,

This was a news headline from Maharashtra reported by Business Line on June 23. I was shocked, as all this time I had been complaining about the inefficiency of Bihar government for not doing anything about the same. This is one thing that hurts me the most. The very thought that one of the earliest civilizations on this planet - Harappa and Mohenjodaro (Indus Valley Civilization) - was nestled right here in our backyard and gained much appreciation for its superior drainage and sanitation technology leaves me scratching my head. When and how did we unlearn all the stuff that we were supposed to be advanced in?

The huge plot for a hospital in front of my own house is the scene of action every morning. I have a beautiful and spacious balcony on the first floor, but I dare not come out and enjoy the morning sun. In fact, while traveling by train, I used to love sitting near the window and looking outside. However, I resist doing that now-a-days primarily to avoid seeing similar embarrassing scenes.

Allow me to narrate a story:

I was traveling from my home town to my village. It was about 7.30 in the evening in the month of September. It had gone dark. I was returning from Gaya, now infamous as the place where IITian SN Dubey was murdered for few thousands of rupees. When the driver switched on the headlight, it was a scene I cannot forget. On both sides of the road, hoards of women and girls were sitting and answering nature’s call. Smack on the sides of the road! As soon as the lights came on, they all just got up. I cannot forget how embarrassing a sight it was. I was with some friends and we all just kept quiet and probably shared the same sense of personal humiliation. I had a similar experience in the town of World Heritage - Khajuraho. On my regular walk, which was quite late in the morning, I found hoards of girls going out for the natural calls in open. I even wrote a letter on my return to the then Chief Minister of the state.

Maharashtra spent Rs 450 crore (out of a total of Rs. 600 crore) in three years since 1997 to build 17 lakh toilets in individual homes in the rural areas. Shockingly, at least 40 per cent of them are not being put to use. Reasons are varying. According to officials, in some cases, these are being used as storage space or “even a pooja room” since in most cases “they happened to be the best part of the house.”

The fields continue to be quite inviting. Apparently, these toilets do not meet the people’s cultural norms or practices. Even today, women tend to go out in groups in the mornings to the fields because it is the only time they get to socialise. Needless to say, men do the same, but for different reasons. Manohar Joshi, the then Chief Minister, had taken up an initiative to provide this most basic facility to 20 lakh (1 lakh is 1,00,000) households. In terms of availability of toilet facilities in the rural areas, the figures have gone up to 25.5% households as against the earlier figure of just 6%. Presently the Maharashtra Government’s Drinking Water and Sewage wing has changed its approach so that toilets can be really put to use. Instead of merely convincing the individuals to opt for toilets in their premises, the thrust is on convincing the entire village community to go for toilets as part of the drinking water and waste management programme being implemented with a World Bank aid.

Creating community awareness is the key. For example, as part of the Ghadge Maharaj Village Cleanliness Programme, prizes are awarded for the way an entire village changes its ways on over 60 counts - sanitation to personal habits of individuals. 100 villages are now fully sanitised.

The total community must be part of this basic motivational programme. We really need a grassroots effort emphasizing the importance of hygiene and sanitation to everyone across this nation. I wonder if this is something Dr. Kalam talks about in his “Vision 2020″ book. I find it somewhat pointless to pursue our dreams of going to the Moon and yet leave such fundamental framework of a mature society to the whims and cultural beliefs of the few who know no better.

- Indra

Category: Employment/Education |