Speech On Sanitation In Mumbai

Unsafe water supplies are often contaminated with infectious agents, toxic chemicals, and radiological hazards. In 2000, the World Health Organization and UNICEF identified some 2.4 billion people who did not have basic sanitation facilities, and 1.1 billion people without a safe drinking water supply. (Wagner, 2009) Some communities experienced diarrhea, caused by a variety of parasites, viruses, and bacteria that infect people as a result of contaminated drinking water or poor hygiene. In India, more than 500,000 children die from diarrhea every year. Like other tropical diseases, when diarrhea does not kill, it weakens, leaving people more susceptible to other infections, such as tuberculosis and HIV. (Whitman, 2008).

Limited access to sanitary water is another problem that sponsorship can help. Poor sewage and pipes can lead to filthy water that is saturated with bacteria and other harmful microbes. A little funding goes a long way in helping to improve access to clean water to bathe in and consume.

In terms of health, an example of an attempt in Mumbai is the Slum Sanitation Program, started in 1995 by an NGO, who built 330 new communal toilet blocks in the slums; due to health also being detrimentally affected by exhaust emissions from traffic, dirty water, cramped living spaces (increasing the spread of disease) and general cleanliness of homes, this has had little impact. Over all, it is evident that these attempts have not been greatly successful, potentially due to the lack of money preventing any major plans like complete rejuvenation which would solve the problems.

A problem that affects the daily life of more than a hundred million people is inadequate sanitation and a lack of proper sanitation facilities. For example, only 87% of Indians in urban areas have access to a sanitized latrine, while only 33% of Indians in rural areas have access to a toilet, (The Guardian). This statistic is alarming, as it increases the susceptibility to diseases such as

Main Point: Third world countries lack accessibility to clean water exposing them to disease and harmful toxins that result in 2.4 million deaths annually (Bartram, 2010).

That “over 1 billion people lack access to safe water supplies;” and that “2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation.” (WHO, 2005)

Sanitation, even in healthcare facilities, is a problem. In southeast Asia, 42% of healthcare facilities don’t have adequate toilets. In sub-Saharan Africa, 36% of healthcare facilities don’t even have soap

Two out of every five people living in Sub-Saharan Africa lack safe water. A baby there is 500 times more likely to die from water-related illness than one from the United States. This is a serious ongoing issue that requires the rest of the world to take action. Water spreads diseases easily if the necessary precautions are not taken. Many developing African countries don’t have sewage treatment, or the people don’t have methods to filter and disinfect. Once a person is sick either there is no way to cure them, or medical care is too expensive, so they are left untreated with a high risk of death. Although many believe that the fight for sanitary water in Africa is insurmountable, people in these developing countries can overcome their challenge to access clean water and avoid water-borne diseases through proper sewage treatment facilities, universal water filtration and medical care.

According to the United Nations, it says that Sub-Saharan Africa loses up to forty billion hours per year collecting water; which is very valuable time because most of the day is consumed by basic needs and no time for anything else but if a solution was done, so people wouldn’t have to lose three hours of their day gathering water it would be better. So when the water solution is taken into consideration, children can go back to school instead of getting water borne diseases and parents could have more time to take care of their families. The World Health Organization has shown that, “for every one dollar invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of between three to four dollars”.

Although access to sanitation in rural India is increasing, the increase still is not enough. Open defecation is still almost universal among the poorest twenty percent of the population (Poo 2 Loo). Most often Indians choose to open defecate because they do not have a toilet available to them or the one they do have is not of adequate standards. One may describe an ‘inadequate’ toilet as one that is filthy, at some distance from their home, or does not provide proper privacy. Women and girls face shame and loss of dignity if they do not have a toilet at their home. Most of the time women and girls must wait until it is dark outside to open defecate because they do not have enough privacy during the day. Public defecation at night is a serious problem for women and girls because crimes, such as rape, are much more easier and more likely to occur. Another reason is they may to choose to openly defecate is because they have had a toilet installed for them by the government, and they refuse to use the toilet due to the fact they feel that it was given to them as an act of pity. That’s half the population dumping over sixty million kilos of excrement out in the open every

Public toilets, therefore, should be perceived as a core component in designing quality and viable capitals (Greed, 2004), which includes the planning and designing of cities towards accessibility, inclusivity, and convenience of all the members of society (Bichard et al, 2014; Afacan & Gurel, 2014). Furthermore, ensuring public toilet provision to be accessible and inclusive is considered vital in removing a severe hurdle towards a greater public productivity (Knight & Bichard, 2011).

Watch this TED Talk video by Francis de los Reyes:‘Sanitation is a basic human right’ and post a comment on the discussion forum in relation to the role of government in funding these sorts of projects.

The central issues with people being unable to attain clean water or have suitable sanitation facilities is that it is a catalyst for disease, hinders economic growth, and negatively impacts the lives of women and children.

Pollution is a big problem in this day and age. Some pollution comes from burning gas to fuel our cars or some other forms of pollution comes from volcanoes. Carbon dioxide is the main pollutant warming the earth. But if we start producing less carbon dioxide then the earth will heat up even more. I know it’s crazy right. Carbon dioxide can be produced by cars, planes, power plants, and many more activities that involve the burning of gas.

Another area that needs consideration is the horrible condition of public toilets. The shortage of public toilets is a big challenge, hence people are compelled to use open spaces to answer the call of nature. The toilets that do exist are in such pathetic condition that one cannot use them.