Its certainly something that shames us and we need to rectify urgently. That said, most of Europe had absolutely horrid sanitation as recently as a say a hundred and fifty years ago. They improved as the average citizen got richer, the same will happen in India too, give or take a decade or so more. The weather is a bit to blame too, had we had long severe winters like China, we would have been forced to find some closed and sheltered place to take a crap or risk frostbites on our butt!
Southie I had heard in a radio program on way to work that there was a drive in India to build clean public toliets but it didn’t work, so people are to blame to some extent. I recall an army person telling me that towards the end of Afghan war, when some Afghan commanders were brought to 5 star hotels for negotiations they had trouble using toilets bcoz apparently toliets were too clean to poo into.
Southie’s penchant for blaming the government is surprising. People have to take responsibility for themselves. If you wait for the government to dole out everything you would just be waiting.
Having traveled quite extensively in India, I think there has to be a concerted effort to educate people on the necessity of hygiene. I have seen people living their crap behind on the seat in public toilets and it just infuriates me.
That said there are certain places where people actually wave(say tata) at you if you see them crapping.
Iconoclast, can you provide more details? If you have been to India you will know that “clean public toilet” is something not possible. Do you have figures on number of persons per toilet? Was there cleaning crew assigned? If yes was it sufficient. Have you ever stepped insides public urinal in a suburban railway station in Mumbai?
Which people are to blame? Those not having a roof over their head let alone a public toliet?
So the people who ate on the streets have to take responsibility for their predicament. Nice. What is the annual income of a typical household that crape outside? The govt has a responsibility to provide a fair playing field. Citizens have responsibility to pay taxes. Politicians have responsibility to uphold promise.
As for last sentence, is it not enough those we mock those who are scrapping outside. Is it also necessary they bury their head in shame while they do so.
The people are the govt. The shame should be borne by all. Starting at the top.
70% Indian population lives in rural areas where there is no running water or sewage system working. in old days there were mehtaraanis who would come and clean your qadamchas. if you were richer, you could afford a sanDaas [15 - 20 feet deep] and that too is not available now.
if you build a sewage septic tank in your house, you need a lot of investment which poor peasants don’t have.
in my village, we had sanDaas in my home which was in a totally separate area of the house. it was OK…then my bro built a flush-able toilet which failed due to lack of water pressure. ab baalTiyoN se bhar bhar ke banda flush to nahiiN kar saktaa…
this is where the government comes in to provide sewage system and running water without which the in-house toilet system will never be workable.
my village has been designated an aadarsh gaaoN ‘model village’ recently. they have paved all the lanes in the village, provided a community-cum-shaadii Haal, sewage system and running water. things are much better after the government’s intervention.
^ ok that makes sense. What still does not make sense is to openly do it on railway tracks. I mean you can always find a bush or tree to sit behind or other natural hideouts.
Even in Pakistan, guys urinating publicly is a huge issue. It’s just shows the mentality problem than a logistics one.
if you travel in India by train, you will notice that Indian Railways owns a 500 yard strip of land on either side of the track which is not utilized and is empty. the farms start right at the edge of the 500 meter strip. land owners do not allow anyone to defecate on their farmland. empty railway land along the track-side with tall some vegetation comes in handy for those villagers.
i think the local municipalities/village punchaayats must provide walled enclosures for communal ****ting.
you will be surprised to know that Muslim men and women do NOT go dishaa to defecate in the public along the track-side.
i’ve seen modest people who stand up and cover themselves with their dhotis at the approach of the trains.
wanna see a clip of the act? i have a video clip that a white man took while he was traveling in India? lol
Exactly. It isnt. My bet is those who defecate in the open - a vast majority - don’t have a home. They live in shacks. Without running water. Earn a pittance. While the Ambanis avoid taxes. And get special breaks.
so yes. It is govt responsibility to level playing field. You know that. I hope.
Just google ‘peshab karna mana hai’ and you will know hygiene issues even in urban areas of subcontinent. Government does have a role, but overall public attitude is also not praiseworthy. This very thread contain a news item from India that a lady had to leave home and then a settlement was done in court that her husband will built a bathroom for her at home. So when there is a will there a way. my two cents.
I think you have not been to India for quite a while or acting totally oblivious to the ground reality. Goto any city and you would find well dressed gentlemen peeing out in the open. I have seen people doing so inspite of a Shulabh Shouchaly nearby. They are too hesitant to dish out the Rs 2 that would be charged.
I made the statement to highlight the fact that the shame regarding crapping outside does not exist. I do not deny that poverty is major reason but the attitude to change also should exist.
In the southern states attitudes are changing. Thirty to forty years ago it was normal to build a house which did not have toilets. Now it is totally different
Govt and the NGOs should work together to let people know the importance of crapping in a toilet.
If you read the articles carefully and understand it is very evident that the problem is just not limited to the homeless. Running water might be a luxury, but lotas are not. It helps to understand the posts rather than make blind statements.
