Although it might sound striking to some, in the 21st century nearly half of the world’s population still lives without a ‘safely managed sanitation service’ which refers to a toilet that is not shared with other households. To counteract this global sanitation crisis, World Toilet Day is celebrated annually on November 19. Raising public awareness of the problem is one of the instruments to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 which promises sanitation for all by 2030.
We approached several international experts in sanitation to answer the question: “Why, in 2021, do around 3.6 billion people still not have a toilet, and what are the most serious consequences of this?”
Key Takeaways
- Hygiene is a basic necessity that prevents disease occurrence
- Countries tend to spend more resources on treating diarrheal infections than on raising the sanitation infrastructure
- The lack of political will in most countries in the world accounts for the low access to toilet facilities
- The lack of toilets renders women and girls vulnerable to sexual assault and violence
- The taboos, discomfort, and euphemisms that surround toilets cause little policy action and funding
Check out broader insights from the experts’ below.
“World Toilet Day is a reminder to us, human beings, that hygiene is a basic necessity that must be done at all costs to prevent unnecessary disease occurrences. However, a portion of the world’s population does not own a well-constructed toilet. As a result, open defecation is common which fuels diarrheal diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. The tricky part is that all the urine and fecal matter that is meant to be disposed of in a toilet ends up in the water bodies and also leads to their pollution, an increase of nutrient content, and plants. As a result, competition for oxygen leads to eutrophication. Unfortunately, society never cares. For example, a marketplace in some developing countries may only have a single toilet which is not enough to serve the large crowds. In such structures, crowds contract diseases since no proper sanitation is followed. Furthermore, women feel unsafe defecating in open places or using public toilets due to attacks by men. As a result, women take more time in finding a safe place to answer the call of nature. Toilets bring dignity in working offices, restaurants, schools, and shops. However, the absence of these deprive the sense of privacy. On the other hand, countries spend more resources on treating patients suffering from diarrheal diseases. For example, cholera cases tend to increase mostly during the onset of rains which partly reflects the deadly effects of open defecation. Such outbreaks are deadly and need governments’ attention. In short, the impacts can be reduced through awareness campaigns on the proper use and the need of having a toilet per house.
“In poor regions such as Africa, stakeholders prioritize educational infrastructure and housing units without a market emphasis on the need to include toilet facilities. In urban communities, a lot of people live in temporary structures with some youth sleeping in open spaces as a means of coping with urban pressure. The lack of political will in most countries in the world accounts for the low access to toilet facilities; there is no commitment from the governments in Africa to achieve the sanitation for all agenda as governments break principles in continuing to construct public toilets; the act makes a lot of communities and households fold their arms and look up to government for their public toilets. Again, poverty continues to defeat all efforts towards achieving improved sanitation. Families strive to feed and the focus of survival becomes the key. The lack of toilet facilities continues to threaten the quality of life of people. The dire consequences are more aggravated in developing countries where schools, households, and other institutions such as worship centers and public spaces lack decent toilet facilities. It must be noted that children and the aged as the most vulnerable groups of our society are more exposed to life-threatening infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery and this hinders their educational attainment, physical and mental development. The lack of toilet facilities resulting in the practice of open defecation could crumble health, education, and the economy. Chioma (2018) noted Nigeria, as the second-worst country practicing open defecation resulting from the lack of adequate toilet facilities, has children as a segment of its population under threat. The same author noted the inadequate sanitation systems in Nigeria, including insufficient toilet facilities, have stunted the proper development of 12 million children and caused the acute malnutrition of further two million children.”
“By 2030, I predict that a greater number than 3.6 billion people around the world will still not have a toilet unless the market-led approaches to toilet access are reformed or innovated. This should not be surprising because the cost of the acquisition of toilets is steadily on the rise. So, poor households with alternative access are constantly looking at the opportunity cost of acquiring a good and safe toilet. The time has come for stakeholders to consider toilet provision, supply, or access as a long-term cost-minimizing service for the unserved. Failure to attain an inclusive market-led model will continue to result in an unhealthy environment contaminated by human waste, via water- and/or vector-borne diseases, and will jeopardize many of the sustainable development goals. Waste from infected households and individuals can contaminate communities’ land and water, thereby increasing the risk of infections and epidemics. Such infections and epidemics also have implications for households’ expenses on health thereby compromising household welfare and wealth. The lack of toilets renders women and girls vulnerable to sexual assault and violence and dangerous animals.”
“How can you solve a problem if you can’t even talk about it? The taboos, discomfort, and euphemisms that surround toilets, poo, and menstruation/periods are a huge factor in why so little policy action and funding are directed towards ensuring access to safe toilets. We need to do more to get comfortable and start talking. And it starts with our own daily behaviour. Let’s drop the shame around toilets, poo, and periods in our everyday lives and acknowledge that it’s just a part of life. The consequences of not breaking the poo taboo are dire. Without more funding and attention directed towards improving toilet access at home, public spaces, work, and schools, we’re losing out on critical contributions to our societies. Girls miss school days and drop out of school at much higher rates when they don’t have access to a safe toilet with a locking door, women don’t have the opportunity to fully access and participate in public spaces when they have to worry about controlling their bowel movements, urination and managing their periods. Not to mention the risk women face of sexual violence (read: rape) because they need to wait for the cover of night to finally relieve themselves in the wilderness. Let us start talking about periods, start saying we’re going to the toilet, and let’s all do our part to make sure that toilets, fecal sludge management, and menstrual hygiene are well funded in our development and humanitarian aid projects.”
“Toilet program financing is not well addressed causing the huge slippage in toilet access and use. Also, public spending on providing access to toilets is still too low in many countries. Without toilets, deadly diseases spread rapidly. Over 750 children under five die every day from diarrhea caused by unsafe water, sanitation, and poor hygiene. Increased school dropout rates, increased health spending, stunting, and poor productivity are other results of not having access to toilets. The most serious consequence is that it robs people of a dignified life as a matter of basic human right.”
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