open defecation

Women self-help groups in the villages of Jehanabad have become the harbingers of social change by convincing people about the usefulness of building toilets at homes and ending open defecation. Mohd Imran Khan takes a closer look.

As part of a campaign to make 621 Maharashtra villages open-defecation free by October 2, 10,000 toilet pits were dug in a single day in preparation for 10,000 toilets to be built.

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.

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

Open defecation continues to be a major problem in India. Governments and other agencies are constructing toilets in huge numbers to combat this issue, but overlooking certain basic issues which may make adoption very slow. Balaji Gopalan looks at one such key issue – toilet design.

A toilet that uses no water is the solution to water shortage and open defecation in rural India. It is the need of the hour.

In the year 2012 the village lacked water facilities, electricity and roads. Today, the village has paved roads, a solar operated water distribution system and electricity.

Sulabh International's Toilet Museum in Delhi offers a glimpse of the development of sanitation facilities across the world.

The plot of Akshay Kumar's new film, Toilet- Ek Prem Katha, revolves around the issue of open defecation and attitudes surrounding the practice.