When we talk about Sanitation, it has become a concern or a threat to humans as it is directly or indirectly affects our well being and environment .Though human beings are well aware of the fact that keeping oneself clean and keeping a healthy life is a must, yet we do not practice it, resulting in polluting our environment through wastes, hazardous use of harmful chemicals and not practicing the sanitary way of life. So what is sanitation? Dictionary defines sanitation as conditions relating to public health specially the provision of clean drinking water and adequate sewage disposal. It is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes as well as the treatment and proper disposal of waste water.
As in layman’s term, Sanitation is keeping oneself clean, surroundings clean, safely disposing of human excreta so that one can live a health life. Sanitation is the foundation for health, dignity and development.
Today when we look at the present scenario of our environment, for the past few years we have seen drastic change in climate. We really need to question our self, as to what best we can do for our environment, so that we can live in a healthy and safe environment.
What happens when we don’t practice good sanitation? There can be various reasons and consequences of not practicing a healthy sanitary life. Lack of sanitation causes some of the life threatening diseases. Though large number of people might be aware of these dreaded diseases, still many people even today relieve themselves in the open contaminating water bodies and other natural resources. This shows that people need to be educated on the importance of sanitation. Lack of adequate sanitation has been a challenge in rural areas as well as urban. Despite its importance, sanitation is often neglected by people, either out of ignorance or lack of civic sense.
Open defecation is one of the major issues that many still practice in rural India. According to the UN Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization report released this year, one in every three or 2.4 billion people on the planet are still without sanitation facilities, including 946 million people who defecate in the open. India is among the 16 countries that have reduced open defecation rates by at least 25 percentage points. In India’s case, there has been a reduction by 31 per cent in open defecation, a progress termed as “moderate” by the report.
Open defecation and lack of sanitation and hygiene in general is a major factor causing various diseases, most notably diarrhea and intestinal worm infection, besides typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio, trachoma and others. Open defecation in our state has been in practice since fore fathers time and some practice it even today. Many rural people still go out to fields or jungle to relieve or defecate, because they lack knowledge about the consequence. Not only that people living in the town too practice open defecation directly or indirectly, such as releasing of septic tanks on rainy season. These practices should be stopped for general well being. It is also important to construct proper toilets to avoid open defecation. Construction of proper toilet gives privacy, safety for women folk, children and helps in maintaining conducive environment. Every village council can and should resolve that every household should have their own toilet and a strong resolution or imposition of fine should be adopted in every villages of our state so that no open defecation will be allowed at any cost.
As per data from the National Status on coverage of toilets in rural areas, the country has achieved the target of 82.02% and Nagaland State stands at 84.55 % in the current year from 61.09 % during 2014. This figure indicates improvement of coverage of toilets in rural Nagaland.
Proper awareness and education should be given to both rural and urban people, so that they stop practicing open defecation in order to prevent the spread of excreta related diseases.
Children under the age of 0-5 years are most affected from diarrhea, do you know that 2,000 children under the age of five die every day, one every 40 seconds.
Open defecation not only applies for Human excreta, but faeces of farm animals are a cause of equal concern. In our state, some still rear animals near their house, which not only directly affects their health but also the surrounding, emitting foul smell and attracting various kinds of flies and insects. Rearing of animals near home can directly affect young children, as they are more prone to having diseases and sicknesses. This can result in life threatening diseases, as children are mostly affected by unhygienic way of living.
One can always educate children about the importance of sanitation and its good practices, such as hand washing with soap after toilet and before and after eating food.
Why hand washing with soap is very important step in our daily life? It is because simple hand washing with soap every day can prevent the spread of various diseases, as our hands are in contact with millions of germs.
Educating children at homes and schools can be a major step that can bring a change in our society, as school children today are more receptive in understanding things than the elder ones. Schools, colleges or any kind of institution can be a good platform to reach out to the younger generation in spreading the importance of sanitation.
Many schools, mostly in rural schools have no latrines, talk about separate latrine for girls and boys. Lack of latrines especially separate latrines for girls can be one of the worst experiences. This shows that the issue of poor sanitation is one of the barriers that prevent girls from fuller participation and achievement in schools.
Solid and liquid waste is another challenge we face in our state. With no proper drainage system, one can witness all the waste dumped in every corner of the towns. During rainy season it becomes a sore for the commuters and citizens. Walk around a little and we see drainage (nulla) blocked with good amounts of waste in any form, especially plastic.
Stagnant waste water smells bad and also acts as breeding place for mosquitoes resulting in spread of diseases like dengue, malaria, filaria etc. Proper disposal and also reuse of waste waster wherever possible will help in combating diseases as well as meeting water scarcity.
It is revealed that more than 90 percent of waste water generated is grey water (Grey water is waste water from bathroom, washing of clothes and kitchen). Therefore, grey water management is a major challenge in rural areas. Water management may involve reuse/recycling of water after appropriate treatment for a variety of purposes including irrigation, domestic purposes and toilet flushing.
In a state like ours, waste is a severe threat to public health and cleanliness. Though, the form of waste (both solid and liquid) generated in rural areas is predominantly organic and biodegradable, yet it is becoming a burden for the overall sustainability of the ecological balance.
For e.g. it is estimated that rural people in India are generating liquid waste (grey water) of the order of 15,000 to 18,000 million liters and solid waste (organic/recyclable) 0.3 to 0.4 million metric tons per day respectively.
Our waste is generally generated at household level and also at community level e.g. market, common streets etc. In order to properly manage this waste with minimum effort and cost, focus must be on management at the household level. The waste which cannot be managed at household level and that collected from market place should be handled at the community level. In spite of composting, re-use and recycling, some waste remains untreated/unmanaged which requires final disposal, either by incineration or by land filling. A landfill is a properly designated area and used for the disposal of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable inorganic solid waste. Landfill is considered to be a viable option.
Different activities may generate waste which may be solid or liquid. The quality of both solid and liquid wastes is increasing and if the wastes are disposed in an uncontrolled manner these may cause adverse impact on public health and environment. Hence these wastes need to be managed efficiently, so as to safeguard public health and environment.
Today, you can look around you and not spot some item that is made entirely from plastic or has some plastic ingredient. Use of plastics has become a menace; we see plastics being thrown in every nook and corner of our house, towns and surrounding. Plastics being a non- renewable resource produce toxic fumes when burnt and causes cancer so it is always recommended that heating and burning of plastic waste should be completely avoided at all levels.
Community can play an active role in taking responsibility for their garbage and liquid waste as waste has economic value for a community. A transformation in waste can be dealt in many ways, this transformation is being summarized in the a simple formula of the 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle can be adopted by anyone, so as to change lifestyle to generate minimum garbage, reuse the things which may be useless to others and converting recycled garbage into manure or other useful products.
Swachh Bharat Mission also known as “Clean India Mission” an initiative of the Government of India was officially launched in India on 2nd October 2014. This biggest cleanliness drive aims to accomplish the vision of a clean India by 2nd October 2019 coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of the ‘Father of the Nation’. Its objectives are elimination of open defecation, conversion of unsanitary toilets, eradication of manual scavenging, 100 % collection, processing, disposal, reuse of recyclable items, behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices, generation of awareness, supporting urban local bodies regarding wastes disposal management and facilitating private sector participation in capital expenditure and operation and maintenance costs for sanitary facilities.
This nation-wide cleanliness drive for improving sanitation cannot be achieved wholly without the participation of people, based in the grass roots, local government councils and development committees to plan and maintain their own sanitation improvement activities and promote individuals action for change with the support of officials from all sectors including health, education and community development. This approach should be based on the principles of empowering people with knowledge, to bring about behavioural change in becoming a responsible citizen to achieve the goal of a Clean India.
In order to improve the quality of life of rural population, water supply and sanitation needs to be improved. Good sanitary practices and hygiene improves ones health, nutrition, physical and mental well being of children, living environment, reduces the burden of caring for the sick and helps to maintain a good life. The time has now come to move forward, to garner the benefits of other aspects of environmental cleanliness, and use the present momentum to achieve important milestones in a “Sanitation drive” to Holistic clean environment in every village. One can maintain a healthy lifestyle by adopting simple practice of sanitation in one’s daily life.
So true to the quote of Mother Teresa “If everyone would clean their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean”. If every individual can do their own cleaning, have a sense of belonging than I am sure we are not far enough, to achieve the goal of having a good and healthy life.
Asonuo
IEC Consultant PHED
Phek Division
WSSO, PHED Nagaland.
