Sanitation

Is constructing toilets enough to solve India's looming sanitation problem? Apparently not. There is a need for awareness, greater community involvement and change in behaviour. Learn how these villages, organizations and communities have tried innovative ways to achieve total sanitation without expensive or short-term interventions.

Many of us hesitate in using a public toilet because it is unclean and badly maintained. Girls miss school days every month and open defecation prevails. In spite of being in such an alarming state, sanitation is often ignored. Read how this self-cleaning, self-flushing and low maintenance eToilet is the future of sanitation and will change the way public toilets work in the country.

A rural village near Mumbai had no toilets until Atul Bhide came and constructed over 200 of them. In the alarming situation where people in India have mobile phones but not toilets, we need more such heroes who are trying to make a change at grassroot level. Read his story of change and how he did it.

Meet the women who strongly believe that there is a spirit of ownership among villagers that can be tapped into by someone within their own community. And to honour this belief, they walk for miles each day to inform and educate people about sanitation and water issues. These are the wonderful Water and Sanitation Promoters of rural Tamil Nadu.

While most of us just complain about the sanitation levels in the country, meet the woman and her team that is doing more than that! Banka Bioloo is working hard to ensure that an eco-friendly toilet can be a reality in most homes in India so that the two major issues facing the country - poor sanitation and open defecation can be effectively combated.

D. Paul Sathianathan, CEO of GUARDIAN, a microfinance institution and a not-for-profit organisation with no capital, talks about their work of providing loans to the society to ensure access to clean water and toilet facilities in every household.

It can be seen from the examples below that when residents and stakeholders in a community come together to solve an issue, the results are not only positive, but also long-lasting. Here we learn of ordinary citizens and local NGOs who inspired people in their areas to keep their surroundings clean and free of diseases.

Remember the 2004 Bollywood film in which an NRI Mohan Bhargava (played by Shah Rukh Khan) returns to India and is moved by the harsh realities faced by the people in his village to become an agent of change? The name of that film was Swades, and here is an organization called Swades Foundation that shares a similar mission - to bring about change in rural India. To know how they are doing this, read more.

It is unfortunate that the normal human procedure of menstruation has been regarded as 'impure' and considered taboo for generations of Indians. However, things are changing now, and it is hearty to know that India is at the forefront of disruptive innovations in menstrual hygiene. Here we bring you a 'Bong' duo doing fabulous work in breaking stereotypes and creating a sanitary revolution.