sanitationforall: Cleanliness a habit and way of life

sanitationforall: Cleanliness a habit and way of life

Cleanliness a habit and way of life

Cleanliness a habit and way of life : Source: The Morung Express: -

Sanitation is safely disposing off of human excreta (faeces and urine), keeping oneself, house and surrounding clean so that conducive condition is created for good personal and community health which makes cleanliness a habit and way of life. Sanitation is the foundation for Health, Dignity, and Development.
Human excreta are the main sources from which diseases are spread through pathogens which microscopic living organisms such as bacteria, viruses, helminthes and protozoa. The main excreta related diseases are Diarrhoea, Dysentery, and Gastrointestinal diseases, typhoid, skin diseases, worm infection etc. Millions of children, especially in the developing countries die due to Diarrhoea each year
In regards to sanitation, International and National organisations have been targeting to achieve the goals as given below:
• Millennium Development Goals: to half the proportion of people in the world without access to sanitation (approx. 2.4 billion people) by 2015 A.D.
• Total eradication of the practice of open Defecation in India by 2012 A.D.
• National Policy on urban sanitation: to make all Indian cities and towns sanitized, healthy and liveable, ensure and sustain public health for all citizens.
Technology option for toilet construction is necessary for human beings that any system ensures NO SEE, NO TOUCH, NO SMELL of human excreta is considered a sanitary toilet. The technology may range from the simplest kind of pit latrine covered with a squatting plate and a water-sealed commode to expensive toilets linked to septic tanks and piped sewer system. ECOSAN toilets are most environmental and economic friendly system available.
Construction of a toilet is necessary for health, convenience & control, privacy and safety, for women and girl’s avoidance of sexual harassment and assault, less embarrassment with visitors and friends and dignity and social status. Every village council can and should resolve that every household should have their own toilet and that no open defection is allowed.
Hand washing with soap after using toilet/urine and before each meal is an important sanitary habit for ensuring good health. It is reported that in India, about one-fourth of deaths among children (age 5-14 years) can be prevented by adopting hand washing behaviour. A recent study suggested that hand washing with soap particularly after contact with excreta, can reduce diarrhea disease by over 40% and respiratory infections by 30%.
Wherever human beings live, their garbage/wastes are generated which is also one of the biggest problems in towns and cities today, as they create unhygienic conditions, bad sight and occupy scarce space. The estimated averages quantity of solid waste generation in India is 50 to 100 g/head/day in Tribal Areas and that of Urban Areas is 500 to 700g/head/day.
Nature and quality of garbage depends mainly upon the economic status and living standard of the particular habitation. Even villages have garbage deposal problem today. “Making garbage out of sight” is not the solution. Burning away garbage is not the solution either as it gives more health hazards by emission of harmful gases, than not burning. Solid and liquid waste should be disposed off to avoid health hazards, pollution of soil, water, air and food, unpleasant surroundings and loss of precious resources systematically and scientifically to make them harmless as well as to generate economic benefit.
The 3Rs, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle is the basic principles for solid waste management, which are useful for better maintenance of sanitation. What every household can do for solid & liquid waste management is to have a soak pit behind the kitchen for safe disposal of liquid waste, and can have a waste collection basket or bin for collection and disposal of non –biodegradable garbage etc. The village council may take steps for disposing off so-called waste in systematic manner by creating facilities.
Plastic burning is dangerous for Health
• Deadly poison, TCDD (tetrachloro-diobenzo-dioxin) is emitted when PVC is burned –a compound most toxic to animals.
• DIOXIN are carcinogenic and a hormone disruptor and persistent and they accumulate in our body fat and thus mothers give it directly to their babies via the placenta. Settle on crops and in our waterways eventually landing up in our food, accumulate in our bodies and are passed on to our children. Can increase the risk of heart disease; aggravate respiratory ailments and cause rashes, nausea or headaches, damages in the nervous system, kidney or liver in the reproductive or development system.
• Burning of polystyrene polymers such as plastic cups, meat trays, egg containers, releases styrene gas which can be readily absorbed through the skin and lungs. At high levels styrene vapour can damage the eyes and mucous membranes. Long term exposure to styrene can affect the central nervous system causing headaches, fatigue, weakness and depression.
• Not only people burning plastics are exposed to these pollutants, but also their neighbours, children and families.
Under total sanitation campaign – a national programme with emphasis on making all villages in the country open defection free, it provides toilets to schools, Anganwadi centers and give assistance to BPL families to construct individual household latrines (at the cost of Rs. 3000/- per unit) in phased manner. Implementation in village is done through WATSAN committees.
• 8 Village councils covering 3 districts awarded NGP by the President of India during 2008.
• 42 Village Councils from 9 districts (of 2009) have been approved by the Government of India and awarded with the national award - Nirmal Gram Puraskar.
• Extensive IEC Campaign & HRD training are being carried out throughout the State to fulfill the GOI goal of clean villages by 2012.
Nirmal Gram Puraskar- meaning “clean/Healthy village Award” is an incentive Scheme for fully sanitized and open defection free Gram Panchayats/villages councils introduced in Year 2004 by Govt. of India. The Qualification for receiving NGP Award is given below-:
• A village council/Block/District can look to getting cash prize ranging from Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 50,00,000/- under the NGP if :
• All houses have sanitary toilets
• All schools / Anganwadis have toilet facility
• 100% Free from open Defection
• Maintains clean environment in the village.
“Sanitation is more important than Independence” - M.K Gandhi
“The day every one of us gets a toilet to use, I shall know that India has reached the pinnacle of progress” – Jawaharlal Nehru
“if every one would clean their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean” – Mother Teresa.

I am serious

Corruption in India

Political and bureaucratic corruption in India are major concerns. A 2005 study conducted by Transparency International in India found that more than 45% of Indians had first-hand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices successfully.

Transparency International estimates that truckers pay US$5 billion in bribes annually. In 2010 India was ranked 87^th out of 178 countries in Transparency International's

The year 2011 has proved to be a watershed in the public tolerance of political corruption in India, with widespread public protests and movements led by social activists against corruption and for the return of illegal wealth stashed by politicians and businessmen in foreign banks over the six decades since independence.

Criminalization is also a serious problem in contemporary Indian politics. In July 2008 The Washington Post reported that nearly a fourth of the 540 Indian Parliament members faced criminal charges, "including human trafficking, immigration rackets, embezzlement, rape and even murder".

India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost US$1456 billion in Swiss banks (approximately USD 1.4 trillion) in the form of black money. According to the data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Report (2006), India has more black money than the rest of the world combined. Indian-owned Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the country’s national debt.

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The Comptroller and Auditor General of India said, “As on March 31, 2010, unutilised committed external assistance was of the order of Rs.1,05,339 crore.”^[12]