OPEN DEFECATION- wat shit??
Was speaking to a colleague of mine from Thailand who plans to visit India. The biggest shocker that she heard about India, is that there are a lot among us who defecate in the open.
The Govt, in its health plans and high morality statements always talk about providing toilets for this lot.I've seen some of these provided toilets and let me tell u, i'd rather let go in the open. On the other hand Sulabh International (http://www.sulabhenvis.in/pages/database_detail.asp?id=45) has created amazing toilets which work at a nominal fee. The fee is towards maintaining the loo and paying basic labour charges for people who work there.This is a model that has worked, both for the toiletless and for people in transit. The failure if any has been to provide enough number of these. 60% of Mumbai lives in slums thats close to 10million inMumbai itself. The number across India will be humongous of course.
The act of defecation in the open is noteworthy. Most people with any degree of self respect would do it with their backsides facing you. So while its spoils ur view, it protects his identity. The favourite zone for most defecators inMumbai is next to the railway tracks. This has several reasons, the obvious one being that most slums are located next to them.The not so obvious reason is that the railway track afford anonymity. The constant rush of local trains past you potenitally means 5000 people every train seeing you go in the open. The upside of course is that the trains pretty quick and the traveller has better things to look at, like whether there's a bomb in the luggage rack!
The other aspect that highlights the sheer abhorrence for the act is the fact that most open air defecators, given a choice, would like to do it at such a point where in they really don't have to see their own do. Which is probably why riversides are favorite haunts in the countryside and nallahs in the cities.
The Govt, in its health plans and high morality statements always talk about providing toilets for this lot.I've seen some of these provided toilets and let me tell u, i'd rather let go in the open. On the other hand Sulabh International (http://www.sulabhenvis.in/pages/database_detail.asp?id=45) has created amazing toilets which work at a nominal fee. The fee is towards maintaining the loo and paying basic labour charges for people who work there.This is a model that has worked, both for the toiletless and for people in transit. The failure if any has been to provide enough number of these. 60% of Mumbai lives in slums thats close to 10million inMumbai itself. The number across India will be humongous of course.
The act of defecation in the open is noteworthy. Most people with any degree of self respect would do it with their backsides facing you. So while its spoils ur view, it protects his identity. The favourite zone for most defecators inMumbai is next to the railway tracks. This has several reasons, the obvious one being that most slums are located next to them.The not so obvious reason is that the railway track afford anonymity. The constant rush of local trains past you potenitally means 5000 people every train seeing you go in the open. The upside of course is that the trains pretty quick and the traveller has better things to look at, like whether there's a bomb in the luggage rack!
The other aspect that highlights the sheer abhorrence for the act is the fact that most open air defecators, given a choice, would like to do it at such a point where in they really don't have to see their own do. Which is probably why riversides are favorite haunts in the countryside and nallahs in the cities.
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