Ways to improve Indian sanitation policy

Submitted by-

Aalok Singla

DM22101

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 Introduction

People who defecate in the open (for example, in fields, woods, forests, lakes, or rivers)

rather than using toilets are known as open defecators. On the surface, a lack of proper

sanitation may not appear to be a major problem, but UNICEF studies show that 1 g of faeces

contains 10 million viruses, 1 million bacteria, and 1000 parasite cysts, and that this

unsanitary practise causes diarrhoea and leads to 800,000 deaths, making it more deadly than

Malaria. Imagine what ten million people could achieve in a time like this, when a single

virus is wreaking havoc across globe. As a result, this must be stopped, and it must be

stopped promptly. The government has recognised the need of putting an end to this

behaviour and has implemented a number of sanitation measures. In this study, we'll look at

what the government has done so far, as well as whether and how it may be improved.

Current policies

To combat open defecation, the government has implemented a number of sanitary policies.

The Swachh Bharat initiative was the flagship programme. The lack of toilets in most rural

areas was rightly identified as the primary cause of open defecation by this effort. As a result

of this campaign, 5.5 lakh villages now have toilets. There are other policies have been

implemented to tackle the problem of open defecation. Ads were launched as part of these

programmes to encourage people in rural and urban areas to keep India clean and use toilets.

Many states aired localised versions to encourage people to use restrooms. These policies

have significantly improved India's sanitation situation in comparison to previous years, but it

is still not where we would like it to be.

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 Challenges

According to 2017 research, about 600 million individuals in India continue to defecate in the

open despite the implementation of these rules. This was particularly true in rural areas,

where over 93 percent of the population defecates in the open. So, while the policies have

moved people in the right direction, they still lack the momentum that India needs to

eliminate open defecation by 2030. There are various reasons why people continue to

defecate in public.

1) Awareness- Though the policies have helped to raise awareness, the level of

penetration is still insufficient. People, particularly in rural regions, are still unaware

of the negative consequences of open defecation. This is because, despite the

existence of these policies, little has been done in terms of advertising. Even the

advertising just encourages people to use toilets by saying only but they are not

explaining why they should abandon their current routine.

2) Attitude- Despite the fact that many toilets have been constructed, they are not being

used. Open defecation has been practised in certain villages and cultural settings for

so long that it has become embedded. It's become a horrible habit. So, if open

defecation is to be eliminated, the basic mindset, which is the cultural norm, must be

changed.

Recommendations

1) Increase awareness- To increase the awareness government and NGO’s can do many

things including using a mascot. Because views acquired at a young age are more

powerful, this mascot could be targeted at youngsters. To attract attention, the mascot

might be placed in a village.

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 Advertisements, as previously said, can be used to raise awareness. The fear factor

should be included in these commercials. Furthermore, these adverts must be

broadcast repeatedly throughout peak time in order to improve the message's memory

imprint.

Taglines and jingles should be used in campaigns. People's attention would be drawn

to these, and the message would be embedded in their minds.

It's a smart option to use celebrities. The celebrity's personality should be one that the

others who are doing this can easily relate to. Celebrities also aid in the formation of

secondary associations and act as a conditioned stimulus, prompting the message of

the need to use the restroom and therefore enhancing memory.

2) Fear appeal- Airing commercials that highlight the negative consequences of open

defecation. However, it is important not to make the adverts excessively frightening,

as this may cause the message to be blocked. Then, at the conclusion of the

advertising, they must demonstrate that the solution is to use toilets.

3) Using ZMDT Technique- If we employ metaphors, the message will be more obvious.

If we continue to say, "Poor sanitation kills and spreads illnesses," people may

become resistant to the message because it is unclear and difficult to comprehend.

Individuals are more likely to listen if the message is anything along the lines of "Poor

sanitation has killed 800,00 people which is more dangerous than malaria." They can

compare with the frame of reference.

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 References

1) https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/3-steps-improve-rural-sanitation-india-pathway-

scale-and-sustainability

2) https://www.thehindu.com/thread/politics-and-policy/how-open-defecation-free-is-

india-really/article25191578.ece

3) https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/11/1051561

4) https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-

network/2015/nov/24/10-steps-to-ending-open-defecation-by-2030

5) http://nirdpr.org.in/nird_docs/sb/doc9.pdf

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