New Delhi: On the eve of World Toilet Day, an interactive map has been launched by WaterAid India to monitor the gaps in the sanitation sector.
The map tracks the progress made under the Swachh Bharat Mission with the ministry of drinking water and sanitation baseline survey 2012 and ongoing data collection as sources.
The map tracks progress in terms of construction of individual household toilets and community sanitary complexes up to the district level.
According to the 2011 census data, sanitation coverage is still around 30% in rural India and 80% in urban India.
“Despite being aware of the harmful effects of poor sanitation on the health of the children, over 59.4 crore people in India lack access to a basic toilet,” WaterAid India chief executive Neeraj Jain said. “Though the government in India has stepped up and committed to providing universal access to toilets by 2019, we as individuals need to realise our responsibilities and work towards securing a healthy future of our kids.”
The interactive map was launched on Tuesday but is not live yet.
Payal Hathi, associate director of the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics (r.i.c.e.) that has been carrying out a study on missing toilets in five states including Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, also addressed the audience.
“Just constructing toilets without understanding people’s attitude is not the answer. Maybe they are looking for other services,” she said. “Pushing toilets hasn’t worked in the past as well.”
