The Many Benefits Of Improved Sanitation

First some quick facts. Even today, more than 4.2 billion people in the world live without safely managed sanitation facilities like toilets or latrines, and data shows that as many as 673 million people still practice open defecation worldwide. So as we read about the benefits of improves sanitation, we have to make sure that these reach the right place and make our world ODF-free in the real sense of the term.

The plus points go well beyond reducing the risk of diarrhoea and other sanitation-related diseases. WHO study in 2012 suggested that improved sanitation will also lower health costs, boost productivity, and contribute to fewer premature deaths. Some of the benefits are

1. Goodbye Bacteria - Improving sanitation and hygiene will reduce the spread of intestinal worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma, which are neglected tropical diseases that affect millions of people. It is also linked to an increased risk of the transmission of diseases, including ranging from cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid to polio.

2. No Malnutrition - Proper sanitation facilities help reduce the severity and impact of malnutrition. If not taken care of, it might also exacerbate stunting in children.

3. Empowerment - even in today’s time’s girls are affected by inadequate sanitation mainly due to gender-related differences as well as sex-related differences (physiological factors). These toilets not only boost safety but also promote dignity among women & girls. And not to forget the increase in school attendance due to healthy life.

4. Water improved sanitation also facilitates the potential recovery of water, renewable energy, and nutrients from fecal waste.

In short, Access to a clean toilet is more than a need, it’s a necessity.