Implanting Urban 'Sanitation' in our rural areas:
Before embarking upon and going headlong into implanting urban sanitation systems in our rural areas, our decision makers could pause and ponder upon a few facts.
Is there any conclusive evidence to establish a direct cause and effect relationship between the practice of 'defecation' in the open fields and spread of diseases?
What is 'poor sanitation'? Is'nt it a relative concept? for urbanites having water carriage system toilets attached to their bedrooms, even a 'pit privy' located away from the house could be 'poor sanitation'! The proud Haryana farmer who takes his entire family out to field every morning (referred to sarcastically in the article) in his Maruti for their daily ablution is in fact being far more environment friendly, "green" and contributing to cost saving in infrastructure systems than the self proclaimed a environmentalists!
How does 'defecating' in open fields make the village 'aswachha' (unclean)? It in fact returns the nutrients to earth, saves on man made fertilizers, uses the sun's free energy to convert solid waste into manure; all the objectives so vociferously propounded from national and international platforms by the self proclaimed experts!
Alas, had the social mobilization achieved to make the rich Haryanvi villager build a water borne toilet (at a capital cost to him and heavy revenue expenditure to local panchayat, with problems of mass disposal of human excreta,) been directed to educate women against the practice of female infanticide that has put Haryana at the top of the states with lowest female to male child ratio; it would have been a far greater contribution to the health of the state and the nation!
What is the 'indignity' in going to open fields? It is common sight while traveling in Rajasthan to find women with veils over their faces 'defecating' -as we urbanites like to describe the natural act of ablution. But, as one of the women unashamedly explained, "human bodies are same all over the world, till one can attach a face to it!"
Has the media really played a positive role or has inadvertently introduced 'westernized' ideas of what is 'sanitary' into an ongoing, perfectly natural recycling process of human waste conversion into fertilizer at no cost? The real fact is, 'the show must go on, for the misguided environmentalists, officials, builders and material suppliers, politicians, international institutions offering credit lest it is proved some day that the age old wisdom of the populace is superior to that of the 'blinkered' experts!
It is said of US President Lincoln that "by surrounding himself by people who bring different perspectives, he will increase his options, absorb dissenting views...." . One wishes our decision makers have the inclination and the intellect to understand this.
Prakash M Apte
Urban DevelopmentConsultant 16th November 2008