Sunday 20 November 2016

World Toilet Day 2016


Yesterday, Saturday 19th November, was World Toilet Day. An initiative created by the UN, its purpose is to mark and remember the importance of the ‘oft-neglected global sanitation crisis’ (UN 2016).

The shocking figure of 2.4 billion people living without access to improved sanitation – that is one third of the world’s population – resounded through the media. Over 100,000 people gathered in Mumbai, India, for the Global Citizen Festival which included Jay Z and Coldplay as headliners. I was surprised to find that even the Mirror engaged in publicity for the Day with an article on “genius” funny graffiti in toilets. Scrolling through the tabloid’s pictures of vandalised public loos made me realise how much we take for granted our access to functioning toilets that are free to us in the UK. We take toilets and sanitation for granted much more than we can imagine. We do not expect to pay for such a basic service or encounter faeces outside the sewers – much less see those around us become ill, dropping out of school or work because of inadequate access. Our reality with respect to sanitation is unbelievably different to that of millions of people in other parts of the world.

An unhealthy population makes an unhealthy economy. This year’s theme focuses on ‘toilets and jobs’, highlighting the significant drag that poor sanitation puts on economic development. The UN estimates that in many countries it accounts for a 5% loss in GDP; lack of access to toilets in households and the workplace leads to poor health and increases absenteeism, lowering the overall productivity of the labour force. Improved sanitation is a preventative measure to tackle diseases that burden many low-income countries, and is much cheaper than curing these. To avoid the $260 billion currently lost and huge number of people who die each year as a result of poor sanitation and unsafe water (UN 2016), greater, better and more equitable investments need to be made (Water Aid 2016).


For more information on World Toilet Day, check out the website: www.worldtoiletday.info

A toilet roll depicting Timbuktu.
Loo Roll art: depiction of Timbuktu, Mali, by artist Anastassia. Source: http://www.wateraid.org/uk/news/news/the-worlds-cities-reimagined-in-toilet-roll

1 comment:

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