Chinks in hygiene and civic responsibility

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: About 2.5 billion people in the world have no access to safe sanitation, and half of South Asia suffers the indignity of open defecation. This lack of hygienic facilities is a fundamental cause of disease leading to 1.5 million children dying every year as per the UN figures.

Can India’s 2020 promise to become a developed country free from poverty be fulfilled without improving our hygiene and civic responsibility?

Hygiene

Landing in Amritsar International Airport a month ago I felt really proud that India’s B class towns are becoming so advanced. High rise roof in modern glass and metal architecture; even the new baggage belt looked better than the latest German engineering. This thrill was knocked out by the foul smelling toilet with insects running around.

On a routine market observation visit, a newly built public toilet in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar looked good from the closed car window. But on stepping out, its sharp stink immobilised me. On its left a permanent store was selling fresh flowers. I wonder how people differentiate floral fragrance from the toilet’s ammonia or faeces smell.

Most spectacular is Mumbai’s Rolls Royce showroom, just 500 metres from Worli Gutter, a putrid garbage drain that joins the sea. Just imagine this ambience when buying the world’s most expensive and sophisticated car. New Delhi’s up-market South Extension displays the latest Japanese, Korean electronic products in neon-lit splendour, but their toilets on the floor above are ugly, dirty and reeks. The purpose of a high flying lifestyle escapes me when the fundamentals of better living are far from being in place.

Civic responsibility

When people sweep their own premises, it may not occur to them that they are gifting dirt to their neighbours. This aptly reflects our complete lack of civic responsibility as a people.

Incidentally, India has developed an excellent hygienic habit in the jet washer in modern public WCs. This is undoubtedly superior to Western toilet paper that keeps the body unclean all day. Until you see water spots in the toilet seat, you never know if it’s water from the jet washer or a human body. The question is, how do you educate people?