In rural areas of India our seventy pecent of the
population go for open defeciation including women. Ironically, while pradha system still
prevails amongst significant segment of
the population women have to per........... go to open places to relieve themselves. Most of the time they prefer to go before to
go in the dark before Sunrise or Sun set.
When they are most vulenerable to crime viz. molestation and rape.
Open defeciation not only
exposes their to anti social elements but also surprises than several diseases
like diarheria, gastro infectional disease, Choleara etc. In fact a study has shown that one of the
Primary reasons for stunted growth is open defeciation.
On a mass scale open
defeciation besides compromising on hygene also is responsible for polluting
our water bodies and open spaces..
Unfortunately , absence of girl’s toilets in schools is
one of the important reasons for large number of girls dropping out of
schools,, particularly in the rural areas. Even where such toilets exist due to
their lack of maintenance their condition is pathetic.
In view of such a dismal situation in most parts of our
Country does it mean we continue with this deplorable situation . Well all hope
is not lost. The Government has taken up setting up of public toilets ,
particularly for women all over the country as a priority item on its agena as
a part of its Swacch Bharat Abhyan . In fact all over the World significant
research work is being carried out on proper designs and optimum use of water
which is scarce in many parts of the World. It is heartening to note that the
Defence Research Development Organisation has developed a technology called the
Biodigester technology which has done away with the need for connecting toilet
units with sewer lines for discharge of effluents. The biodigester technology
uses bacteria extracted from cattle dung for treatment of discharge from toilet
units which converts the discharge into non toxic water that could be used for
horticulture purpose or even recycled. The technology is already being used in
railway coaches and its popularity is
fast gaining momentum.
While the biodigester technology would take care of the
effluent treatment the reqirement for lighting inside the toilet units could
easily be meet through solar panels set up atop the toilet units. In a tropical
country like India it is unfortunate that research on optimum use of solar
energy has lagged behind.
There have been reports that even in many households
where toilet units exists people particularly the men folk prefer to go for
open defecation because of their age old habits. Thus while constructing
toilets on a large scale is absolutely
essential at the same time an attitudinal change is required to change
toilet habits through efforts of Gram Panchayat and NGOs.
One eagerly awaits the day when there would be toilets
for one and all therby keeping our open spaces clean, our water bodies
unpolluted and our population healthy.
Domex, HUL’s flagship sanitation brand, currently runs the Domex Toilet Academy (DTA) programme. Domex Toilet Academy was launched on 19th November 2013. It aims to become a sustainable and long-term solution to provide sanitation that benefits the local community and helps stimulate the local economy. The Toilet Academy makes toilets accessible and affordable, while promoting the benefits of clean toilets & good hygiene. Our effort has resulted in bringing the change in the villages of Maharashtra and Orissa and we aim to build 24000 toilets by 2015 in rural areas faced with the problem of open defecation.
The Unilever Foundation and Domex have joined
forces with UNICEF to help improve access to basic sanitation for hundreds of
thousands of people in areas that need it most. By supporting UNICEF’s
Community Approaches to Total Sanitation (CATS) programme, the Unilever
Foundation and Domex aim to improve the health and well-being of those in need
and create sustainable approaches to improved sanitation through programmes
that promote good hygiene practices, improve the health and well-being of
communities, help create demand for access to toilets and raise awareness of
the sanitation crisis. As part of this partnership, Domex is giving its
consumers the opportunity to help improve access to basic sanitation through
contributing 5% of its proceeds from the sale of specially marked bottles of
Domex to support UNICEF’s CATS programmes
ou can bring about the change in the lives of
millions of kids, thereby showing your support for the Domex Initiative. All
you need to do is “click” on the “Contribute Tab” on www.domex.in and Domex will contribute Rs.5 on your behalf to eradicate open
defecation, thereby helping kids like Babli live a dignified life.
This post is a part of http://www.domex.in/
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