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PLUMBING CONNECTION
WINTER 2015 93
one, without changing sanitation
preferences, most people in our sample
in these states would nevertheless
defecate in the open,” the study found.
Many of the survey’s subjects said
they found defecating in the open
more “comfortable and convenient”
than using a commode. “Many
respondents told us that defecating in
the open provides them an opportunity
to take a morning walk, see their
fields and take in the fresh air,” the
study’s authors wrote. “Many people
regard open defecation as part of a
wholesome, healthy, virtuous life.”
Bindeshwar Pathak, who is often
referred to as the “toilet guru” of
India, has built thousands of toilets in
India and runs Sulabh International,
the largest sanitation charity in India.
He agrees with the study’s findings,
and said Modi’s vision is laudable but
requires a large-scale awareness
campaign to succeed.
“Who will implement this toilet
scheme? Who will educate and
motivate?” he asked. “We need an
army of volunteers who will go from
house to house and talk to people
about hygiene, and educate them about
the health benefits of using toilets.”
Pathak noted that similar efforts
have worked on other sensitive
subjects. “It’s not an easy task in
conservative India to talk to women
about menstrual hygiene, so we
will have to train people and also
compensate them,” he said.
The Clean India Campaign does
intend to incorporate a vigorous public
education component.
“Community action and generation
of peer pressure on the outliers are the
key,” according to campaign literature.
“Open-defecation-free villages cannot
be achieved without all the households
and individuals conforming to the
desired behaviour of toilet use, every
day and every time. An army of ‘foot
soldiers’ or ‘Swachhata Doots’ on
sanitation could be developed and
activated.”
Pathak says the foot soldiers will
need to spend considerable time on
the ground working in the villages.
They can’t just breeze through and
expect people to change their toileting
habits overnight.
“We can definitely achieve the target
to be a 100% open-defecation-free
country by 2019, provided we arm
people with knowledge,” he said. “The
government usually just stops after
building toilets, but they will have to be
more realistic and look into monitoring
and maintenance.”
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