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The total weight of excreta being open defecated daily in India is 65 million kg per day. That’s a whole lot of crap!
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Almost 28 million school children across India do not have access to school toilet facilities.
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Globally, India has the largest number of people, close to 594 million which is 48 percent of population in India practices open defecation. About half the population of India use toilets.
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With 44 percent of mothers disposing their children’s faeces in the open, there is a very high risk of microbial contamination (bacteria, viruses, amoeba) of water which causes diarrhoea in children
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Although access to sanitation in rural India is improving, the increase is not equitable. Open defecation is still almost universal among the poorest 20% of the population
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Women and girls face shame and a loss of personal dignity and safety risk if there is no toilet at home. They have to wait for the night to relieve themselves to avoid being seen by others.
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There has been good progress in providing toilet and handwashing facilities in schools in India.
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Adequate, well-maintained water supply and sanitation facilities in schools encourage children to attend school regularly and help them achieve their educational goals.
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Inadequate water supply and sanitation in schools are health hazards and affect school attendance, retention and educational performance.
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Although access to improved sanitation is steadily increasing in India, the use of improved sanitation in the country remains an enormous challenge.
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Inadequate water supply and sanitation in schools are health hazards and affect school attendance, retention and educational performance.
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7 states in India (Orissa, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) account for almost 50% (13.8 million) children without access to toilet facilities in schools.
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India, at the current rate of progress will only achieve the sanitation target of MDG 7–c in 2054.
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Water safety is being compromised by open defecation as faeces in the open contaminate drinking water in family and community wells.
