Sanitation Frustration

Every American toddler experiences the transition from wearing pull-ups to using “the big boy/girl potty”. It is a strategic lesson to teach a child that using the restroom is no longer a thing you can do whenever and wherever you please, and there is a separate place to do so. Children are bribed with M&M’s and gummy bears til it is learned that using the toilet and flushing and washing your hands is systematically part of life. Standard hygiene is one of the first categories addressed in the United States. Baby wipes, GermX, and tissues are carried around in diaper bags and purses in the case that a mess is made. It is unthinkable in our American world to not keep our selves and our environment clean.

Traveling to a third world country and visiting cities and villages, your eyes are quickly opened to the difference in sanitation and hygiene. Poverty and lack of education in less developed parts of Nepal strike the heart as you observe the environment thousands of people live in. Pollution, unproper disposal of trash, less than hygenic meat stores, and lack of toilets is hard to ignore. Inside southern Nepal villages, a movement is taking place to educate people on proper ways to use the restroom. Local government officials hire actors to perform a skit in the hopes that people would become aware that using the restroom in the streets and fields is unclean and unsafe. As interesting as it sounds to see, my perspective was shaken. A concept of using the restroom is so primary to me and fellow Americans. However, here a clever strategy must take place to put it into action. 

At first glance, the Local government appears to be proactive and engaged in the wellfare of the villagers. Simply discussing using the restroom safely and properly seems inspiring and resourceful. However, after drawing back the curtain, a deeper issue of corruption is more daunting. After discussing with villagers and village leaders, the issue isn’t a behavioral lag of refusal to use the toilet. The issue is that there are no toilets to be used. The installation of a toilet can be expensive after hiring workers to dig, building a closed room, and installing a porcelain or concrete area with a water source for after use washing. For individuals living in a temporary home, as many are, its nearly impossible to pay for much anything, let alone a toilet. These people have no other choice but to go where they can. After pleading with hire authority to build them public toilets and receiving none, the issue is at a standstill.

The installation of one or two public toilets by the local government would benefit villages tremendously. Along with the obvious benefit of removing waste from the public view, preventing contamination of water and crops and improving smell and swarms of insects it also can prevent common diseases. A quote from Sanitation Health Transitions says,

“There are over 100 different varieties of viruses, bacteria, and helminthes in feces.  Urine is sterile or almost sterile at time of elimination so urine will not be discussed in this section. Most bacteria have no negative effect, but others will cause severe pain or dysentery, and a few can lead to death if left untreated.  Included in the dangerous pathogen category are Typhoid fever, Cholera, Hepatitis A, and a variety of worms (helminthes).  In addition there are Rotavirus, Norwalk Agent virus, and numerous others that can cause respiratory distress.  Other pathogens cause severe diarrhea. All come from feces that are untreated or have not been properly treated.  Squatting on the ground to go to the bathroom outdoors is one of the main ways to spread disease-causing pathogens and helminthes.”

Paired with the dangers of diseases within feces, the lack of proper hand washing technique, walking around barefoot and eating with your hands, all at play inside the village can lead to many people contracting disease quickly. Along with the fight against harmful germs, the local government could work to empower the villagers to build and maintain the public toilets. Aiding them with this basic necessity is the first step in awareness and prevention of water and disease related issues. 

However, it must be addressed that the finances coming from the local government instead of larger corporations or foreign aid is highly important. As Nepal is a community based culture, an outsider dumping money can lead to chaos if not monitored closely. The local government could shield the money from the villagers in need and pocket it themselves or if the money is received and toilets are built, a ripple affect could occur because of strife and jealously within or surrounding villages. Creating change is a delicate process and deserves careful attention before a trigger is pulled, the worst fear is through an outsider changing a situation for the worst.