Rapid Fire
World Toilet Day
- 19 Nov 2024
- 2 min read
World Toilet Day, observed annually (since 2013) on 19th November, is a United Nations initiative raising awareness about the global sanitation crisis and promoting safe, accessible toilets as part of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030.
- 2024 Theme: ‘Toilets-A Place for Peace’ which emphasises that billions of people face heightened threats to sanitation due to conflict, climate change, natural disasters, and systemic neglect.
- Global Sanitation Crisis: 3.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation, and 419 million still practise open defecation, contributing to health risks such as cholera.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023 reported that unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene are responsible for approximately 1,000 deaths of children under the age of five every day, and improved sanitation could potentially save 1.4 million lives annually.
- India’s Efforts for Safe Sanitation: India launched the "Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman" campaign, linking sanitation with human rights, dignity, and privacy, particularly for women and girls.
- Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) (Grameen): 75% of villages in India achieved Open Defecation Free(ODF) Plus(+) status under Phase II of the SBM Grameen.
- SBM-Urban: 63.63 lakh household latrines and 6.36 lakh community toilets were constructed under SBM-Urban.
- 93% of women in ODF regions reported enhanced feelings of security and dignity.
Read more: Making Swachh Bharat Mission A Reality
