Washroom, Restroom, TOILET!
- Nov 14, 2017
- 5 min read
Living in an urban society, going to the toilet is part and parcel of our daily lives. The average number of times we urinate per day ranges from six to seven times in a 24-hour period.
However, that is not the case for everyone.
2.1 billion people in the world lack access to safe and readily available water at home. 4.5 billion people in the world lack safely managed sanitation in their household, according to a recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
World Toilet Day is about encouraging global action in tackling the sanitation crisis around the world. These include taking actions to break the toilet taboo, recognising that toilets play an important role in creating a strong economy and improving health. With efforts to alleviate sanitation issues in developing countries/cities, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated 19th November as World Toilet Day. World Toilet Day is also linked to the Sustainable Development Goal #6 in ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.
During one of my recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand, I got the chance to take a boat ride at one of their famous Floating Markets – Amphawan Floating Marketing. The Thais rely on ferries for transportation and for many, the river is part of their livelihood. While on the boat tour, I spotted some children playing and showering in the murky river. This is a rare sight in Singapore.
I don’t have videos of the children in the water but here is a very short video of my ferry rides in Bangkok.
Does it Matter?
Water is an essential part of our daily lives, almost every organ in our body needs water to function. Proper water and sanitation is a key foundation in growing the country’s economy too! By managing water sustainably, countries can better manage their eco-system, healthcare and food production efficiently and effectively. Ultimately, it contributes to the building blocks of economic growth in the countries.
Free or Charged?
“Safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home should not be a privilege of only those who are rich or live in urban centres,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “These are some of the most basic requirements for human health, and all countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can access them.”
The major challenge in providing water and sanitation in developing countries/ rural areas is in its accessibility and affordability. The types of cost involved in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and services include the development, upgrade and maintenance of the networks for water distribution and sewage collection, system operations and water treatments. These come with a high capital investment which the developing countries might not have sufficient financial capabilities. Although subsidies and financial supports for WASH services are available, most of the eligible population are not well informed. The sustainability of the system is a major concern when developing appropriate strategies, tariff schemes and regulations.
Developing countries need looked beyond the existing strategies and move towards a broader system to finance the WASH services. These include subsidies and expertise from international organisations like the United Nations, UN-Water and World Health Organisation(WHO) through their efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Millennium Development Goals.
Cambodia – “Open Defecation Free”
According to Cambodia: Country Poverty Analysis 2014 by Asian Development Bank (ADB), “The Cambodian population grew to 14.68 million in 2013. Of the total 3.16 million households, 2.5 million households were rural and 0.66 million were urban.”
A simple practice of washing hands with soap and the dignity of using a toilet are denied in the rural areas in Cambodia, causing a high occurrence of diarrhoeal diseases and illnesses like pneumonia. Partnering with UNICEF, WHO, ADB and many more international NGOs, the efforts in increasing water and sanitation access have been in place and families are now educated in the importance of good hygiene behaviours.
To foster innovation and commitment within the community, the community-led total sanitation is an approach led by the villagers. Through the support by trained facilitators, the aim is to allow the villagers to be self-reliant in achieving better sanitation. According to UNICEF Cambodia, approximately 20% of 4,140 villages have executed the community-led total sanitation approach without external support in 2006. Out of which, 50% have declared “Open Defecation Free” status, that means that every family has built and used their own latrines.
Photo Credit: The Stone Family Foundation. Banteay Meas: Cambodia’s first open defecation free district
Photo Credit: Anne-Sophie Galli, 2015. UNICEF Cambodia: Triggering disgust to save lives.
NO HOT WATER!
In Singapore, water is potable and most of the times, we take it for granted. Being used to showering with hot/warm water, it is a torture for me to shower without turning on the water heater. I love to go for camps but there is one part which I really dislike, showering! Most campers will say that being able to shower after sweating for the whole day is the best feeling ever, however, it is probably one of the biggest thing I need to conquer every single night. The water is just too cold, and I would often come out of the shower cubicle shivering, sometimes sneezing! To train myself to adapt to the cold showers during camp, I would usually shower in cold water for about a week or so before the camp. And thankfully, IT WORKS!!! I wasn’t scared about the coldness of the water and I was able to shower pretty peacefully.
Looking back, I realised how privileged I am to be able to shower with hot/warm water. In many countries, having clean water is already a big problem to them. While here I am, living in Singapore, complaining about not having hot/warm to shower in. #firstworldproblems
The Call!
You can do your part in spreading the awareness of the importance of water and sanitation! Start of by watching a video by Jack Sim, better known as “Mr.Toilet”, the founder of World Toilet Organisation.
Donate to support the work of the World Toilet Organization at worldtoilet.org. Donation will go towards advocacy and awareness, and to support sanitation projects around the world.
For more information, visit World Toilet Organization’s website worldtoilet.org and the UN World Toilet Day website http://www.worldtoiletday.info to learn about the sanitation crisis and how you can get involved.
Thank you for reading my post! Every month, I will be looking at different days celebrated and posting it up here! So.. Do join me in my journey and celebrate the little happiness everyday!
References:
Asian Development Bank, 2014. Cambodia: Country Poverty Analysis [online]. Available from: http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/151706/cambodia-country-poverty-analysis-2014.pdf [Accessed Date: 4 November 2017]
Bladder & Bowel Community, 2017. Urinary Frequency [online]. Available from: https://www.bladderandbowel.org/bladder/bladder-conditions-and-symptoms/frequency/ [Accessed Date: 30 October 2017]
Léo Heller, 2017. Affordability Of Services For All And The Human Rights To Water And Sanitation [online]. Available from: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Water/affordabilityleafletenglishfinal.pdf [Accessed Date: 3 November 2017
UNICEF Cambodia. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene [online] Available from: https://www.unicef.org/cambodia/8.WASH.pdf [Accessed Date: 4 November 2017]
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, 2016. Clean Water and Sanitation: Why It Matters? [online]. Available from: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/6_Why-it-Matters_Sanitation_2p.pdf [Accessed Date: 4 November 2017]
World Health Organisation, 2017. 2.1 billion people lack safe drinking water at home, more than twice as many lack safe sanitation [online]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/water-sanitation-hygiene/en/ [Accessed Date: 2 November 2017]
World Toilet Day, 2017. What is World Toilet Day? [online] Available from: http://www.worldtoiletday.info/ [Accessed Date: 2 November 2017]
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