More Indians have a Mobile than a Toilet seat
More Indians have a Mobile than a Toilet seat
The telecom revolution in India has witnessed a metamorphosis over the last two decades. From the time of Airtel and Hutchison providing telecom services having high call charges to the current day when call charges have dropped to an all time low so much so that they are one of the lowest in the world, owning a mobile phone is no longer a luxury for a billion Indians.
On the other hand, it is ironical that a large chunk of the population does not have access to hygienic sanitation facilities. It is estimated that over half of country’s 1.2 billion defecate in the public. While the country ranks amongst the fastest growing nations of the world, its people do not have access to basic facilities such as the access to toilets. Unlike a mobile phone, it is hard to sell the concept of sanitation to the general public. However, it is well known and commonly accepted that developed countries not only have a higher per capita income, they also have better access to facilities such as health, education, sanitation amongst others. Also, water borne diseases such as Cholera, Jaundice amongst others result in death of millions of lives each year in India. Simple practices such as washing hands before meals and after defecation can go a long way in eradicating some of the commonly caused diseases due to contamination of water.
It is strange that people need mobile phones more than toilets. Clearly, the need of the hour is to educate the public on sanitation and its impact on health. Improved sanitation can result in lower poverty along with higher productivity.
Even though India’s minister for rural development and drinking water and sanitation raised concern over women wanting cellphones more than toilets, the issue did caused a stir but brought back the topic of dismally low public toilets in India. Along with poor sanitation practices, the country lags way behind countries such as China, which is also growing at a stupendous pace.
What needs to be seen is that whether the government would increase its focus on ensuring toilets are within the reach of homes in every nook and cranny of the country. With the general elections round the corner and various political parties providing promises of all kinds, it has to be seen whether any party would add this to their list. The country would need a revolution in its standards of sanitation akin to the telecom revolution which changed the course of the country in the 21st century.
Discussion
- More Indians have a Mobile than a Toilet seat -Rishika Jalan (03/27/14)
More Indians have a Mobile than a Toilet seat.
Shocking, surprising or unfortunate, whatever you may call it but it is true that India has more number of mobile phones than the number of toilets. According to the results of a recent report which was developed by the United Nations, it was found that half the population of India has personal mobile phones but more than half of it does not have access to basic sanitary conditions of a toilet.
This might be a shocking to many readers, but according to the research 45% of Indians possess mobile phones and only 31% of the Indian population have the option of using toilets. These figures have been reached upon after a lot of research and have blown the mind of many.
Telecom vs sanitation
The telecom industry in India has been doing a tremendous job and has managed to spread its wings across the entire nation. It is mainly seen that more than 70% of the Indian families are nuclear families, with majority households having only one couple. This trend has changed from this generation and is one major reason behind the increased use of mobile phones.
While on the other hand, owing to many traditional and cultural reasons, the number of toilets is less in India. The main reason behind this unhygienic practice is the lack of education among the public. Due to illiteracy people don’t demand hygienic sanitary conditions for themselves, rather want mobile phones. And for this reason, we see why India being the second highly populated country in the world after China, has such low cleanliness demands.
To make sure that there is a change in the mindset of people, what first needs to be done is imparting knowledge. Without minimum and basic education, the thinking of the Indian population will not change for the better and we will not be able to bring the change needed. Once people are educated and send their kids to schools, their demands will automatically change and they will want sanitary conditions for themselves. This will not only offer hygiene but the overall rate of health will also increase in India.
The increasing deaths and number of sick people will reduce with proper toilet facilities. India will be able to prosper faster with its healthy and educated population.
