When we think about sanitation and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the first goal that comes to mind is SDG 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. Given that people all over the globe are experiencing the deleterious effects of climate change, and the evolving conversation on the water crisis, SDG 6 takes on added significance.
In India, both the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Jal Jeevan Mission are aligned with the same goals and objectives as SDG 6. However, as we have seen in the last 10 years, providing safe sanitation goes a long way in improving the quality of life of every citizen in many unexpected ways.
Sanitation and the other SDGs
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
There is a direct line between public health and sanitation – where there are safe and accessible toilets, there are fewer outbreaks of waterborne diseases like Diarrhoea, Cholera, Typhoid, Amoebic Dysentery, Hepatitis A, Shigellosis, Giardiasis and vector borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow fever, Chikungunya and others. Children who practice safe sanitation are less prone to parasitic infections, which prevents malnutrition and stunting.
SDG 4: Quality Education
When they have access to safe toilets at home, children miss fewer days of school, improving outcomes. When they have access to safe toilets at school, we see fewer disease outbreaks. When girls have access to safe, well equipped toilets in school, we see lower dropout rates, particularly in older girls who menstruate.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Proper sanitation infrastructure in urban areas helps create sustainable and resilient cities. Untreated sewage can introduce harmful pathogens, toxic chemicals, and excess nutrients into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and parasites present in human waste. When released into water, they can infect humans and aquatic life, leading to diseases.
On the flip side, our wastes often contain high levels of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. When these nutrients enter water bodies, they can cause imbalances, leading to issues like eutrophication, which leads to algal blooms, which can, in turn, block sunlight and deplete oxygen in the water. When algae die and decompose, they consume oxygen, further reducing oxygen levels in the water. This can suffocate fish and other aquatic organisms. Large algal blooms can create “dead zones”.
The same toxins that leach into water and kill off aquatic organisms also affect organisms in the soil that maintain soil health. As we are learning, the soil is a living system and contains billions of creatures. Beneficial bacteria and fungi work together with nematodes, arthropods and earthworms to cycle nutrients within the soil matrix. Many of these creatures are sensitive to certain toxins and pathogens we regularly excrete, which means that our ‘traditional’ way of going to the toilet in our fields actually harms the soil structure, balance and fertility. In some cases, toxins we excrete can make their way back into our plates through contaminated food grown on contaminated soil.
SDG 13: Climate Action
By improving our wastewater treatment capacity, we can play a significant role in mitigating climate change, particularly through the release of greenhouse gases from wastewater treatment and the decomposition of organic matter in sanitation systems. Anaerobic digestion of organic matter in sanitation systems, such as septic tanks and sewage sludge, releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Proper sanitation management, including the capture and utilisation of methane for energy, can help reduce these emissions.
By using upcycled materials and recycled materials for toilet construction, following sound construction practices and using long-lasting materials suited to the local climate and geography also helps keep their carbon footprint low. Toilets and sanitation systems can also be designed to be energy-efficient, reducing the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment and promoting sustainable energy use. Moreover, they can also be powered by renewable energy. This can be particularly useful for toilets and sanitation systems in far flung areas, giving them additional autonomy and self-reliance.
Beyond toilets, sanitation also addresses the disposal of household wastes. By following effective segregation methods, we can significantly increase the volume of materials that are recycled.
SDG 15: Life on Land
Sanitation practices also impact terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity. Sanitation systems that effectively treat wastewater prevent the release of pollutants into water bodies, protecting aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity. This is particularly important for maintaining healthy rivers, lakes, and wetlands, which support a wide range of plant and animal species.
As previously mentioned, improperly managed sanitation systems can lead to soil pollution, which can have long-term impacts on ecosystem health and biodiversity. Proper sanitation management, including the safe disposal of human waste, helps prevent soil pollution and maintains soil health.
Sanitation Progress in India
Fortunately, the Swachh Bharat Mission has made a giant leap in mitigating these impacts by creating a strong sanitation infrastructure. In just the first 10 years, the Swachh Bharat Mission has constructed over 11 crore toilets, and improved toilet access for all Indians. Over 6 lakh villages are now ODF. However, as the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Mission anticipated, building toilets is just half the solution – the rest comes from behavioural change.
The gap is one of awareness and education. The Swachh Bharat Mission has been using a multi-pronged approach to communicate the importance of toilet usage and toilet hygiene with context and nuance. Fortunately, it is not alone in doing so. As India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment, Harpic has been teaching Indians how to care for each other by caring for our toilets for decades now.
Three years ago, Harpic joined hands with News18 in Mission Swachhta aur Paani, a movement that upholds the cause of inclusive sanitation where everyone has access to clean toilets. Mission Swachhta aur Paani advocates equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and strongly believes that clean toilets are a shared responsibility.
In these three years, Mission Swachhta aur Paani has brought together the right stakeholders on a common platform, so that issues of importance can be discussed, and solutions found. These stakeholders include govt officials, municipalities, NGOs, activists, grassroots organisations, sanitation workers and affected communities.
It also functions as a repository for information on a vast variety of topics surrounding toilet access, toilet hygiene, and how to help improve toilet access and toilet habits across the board. This allows you to take action from a place of strength. In a land as diverse as India, there are so many nuances, and we can’t wait for the government to do it all. Some of it falls to us too. Learn what you need from our repository, and take action. The Swachh Bharat Mission is a Jan Andolan first, after all.
Join us here, to add your voice to ours, and help us create a Swasth and Swachh Bharat for every Indian.