‽istis
reclaims Defecation (weekending October 5th 2019)
‽istis squatted and wondered about toilets and…
‽ why a well-known ‘world
in figures’ 2019 publication (1) can maybe use a
‘Big Mac Index’ to make currency exchange comparisons, can rank the average
cost of a cinema ticket across the globe, or show which countries are the top
five coarse grains producers – but does not seem to have information on access
to a toilet and clean sanitation (can tell us about ‘brain drains’ but not household
drains)…?
‽
despite apparent disputes about actual delivery or methods of enforcement, how
ambitious is the claim that India has possibly ended open defecation and that more
than 100 million toilets have been built in 5 years through the Swachh Bharat/Clean
India mission - before which perhaps over 500 million people did not have access
to safe sanitation…? (2)
‽ that inadequate
sanitation is still estimated to cause maybe 432,000 diarrhoeal deaths annually
across the world, and that the countries where open defecation is most
widespread have the highest number of deaths of children under 5, the highest
levels of malnutrition and poverty, and big disparities of wealth… (3)
…And if no home could have more than one toilet until all homes have at least one toilet, then just imagine how clean and level the playing fields might be.
(PS: ‽istis struggled to avoid any reference to defecatory matter meeting air circulatory equipment in the UK and Europe as October 31st looms)
© Pistis
References/further
reading…
1) The Economist: ‘Pocket World in Figures’ 2019 ed. (p. 37, 101, 48, 60)
2) Narendra Modi to face down critics by hailing Clean India scheme a success (Guardian 30.9.2019) https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/sep/30/narendra-modi-to-face-down-critics-by-hailing-clean-india-scheme-a-success
3) WHO: Sanitation key facts 14.6.2019: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation
