Sanitation

Menstruation and menstrual waste are still taboo topics in many parts of India, especially in rural areas. Amidst this environment, a small village in Uttar Pradesh has taken a huge progressive towards dealing with menstrual waste and raising awareness about menstruation. Puja Awasthi explores further.

Open defecation continues to be a prevalent issue in many parts of rural India. Community members from a village in an Uttar Pradesh district are coming together to resolve the problem in their own areas.

Stressing on issues like cleanliness and hygiene, Maulana Mahmood A Madani asked people to use toilets and contribute towards making the country clean.

The manure from the pit is rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, and can be extremely useful in agricultural practices.

Across rural Koraput, women have led the movement against open defecation although it’s never easy to wipe out centuries of set behavioural practices.

Students of Kishinchand Chellaram (KC) College in Mumbai have constructed 107 toilets in the village of Karvale in Maharashtra to help it become Open Defecation Free.

Many government schools across India suffer from poor facilities, including terrible sanitation facilities and urinals. A new innovation is helping schools overcome this issue – waterless urinals for boys.

Rohini Karale has already helped over 15 families in the village build toilets in the past one year.

In a bid to prevent open defecation and usher in hygiene and cleanliness among slum-dwellers of New Delhi, a group of college students have initiated a unique campaign that has brought down the open defecation rates in some slums from 95% to 3%.

Sixteen-year-old Soulya is championing the cause of WASH in her community, trying to bring about a change one step at a time, and making her way to becoming a role-model in her community.