TVs, but no toilets…

Finally my time has come and I have started working in the fields. From 9a.m.-5p.m. Sarita, a CORD grass root worker, and I go to villages in the Massal panchayat to survey sanitation. In 2002 it was estimated that 2.6 billion people in the world live without proper sanitation facilities, representing close to 50% of the world’s population. By 2015, that number should be reduced to 1.8 billion if the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and sanitation target are met. In India, major initiatives have been taken for inducing reforms in the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector for ensuring sustainable improved service delivery to the un-served and underserved sections of the society.
In the past, the Indian government has given money to villagers to build toilets. Results showed that these toilets were being built; however, they were not being used. For centuries, Indians have been defecating and urinating outside and they do not recognize the importance of using a toilet. For that reason, CORD/NGOs have focused their attention on stressing its importance, behavioral change, as well as introducing latrines at a lower cost. Indian statistics show that 80% of the diseases in rural areas are spread on account of open defecation – therefore, it is a must that I do my best to spread the significance of toilet construction/usage. So far in the two villages Sarita and I surveyed, only 2% of the homes had toilets, even though 98% of the homes had televisions… Go figure… :0P