Open defecation is Curse in Indian Society: A Case Study of Rural India

Introduction:

Globally, 2.5 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation of which, 1.1 billion still practices open defecation. In India, it is a great challenges how to get 560 million peoples of India to stop the open defecation practices. According to UNICEF, Open defecation refers to the practices whereby go out in fields, bushes, forests, open water bodies or other open spaces rather than using the toilet for defecate. The countries where open defection most widely practices are highest numbers of under five child deaths, high level of under nutrition and poverty. The Union Government Socio-Economic Census (2011) reveals that only 30.07 per cent rural household has latrine facilities as against 81.04 per cent urban household. The government launched the Swacch Bharat Mission in the year 2014, which promised 110 Million toilets built in the next five years is an effort to make India as ‘Open defection free country’. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the year of sanitation. It was here that the term Open defection was widely populated. The Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) progress help spread to all around the globe. In the CLTS concept, a village can be declared Open Defecation Free, if all its villagers use toilets regularly. Most of the illiterate farmers believe that walking up early and defecating in the field, not only adds natural’s fertilizers to the soil, but also rejuvenates the Body as well as mind. As a result of practices of open defecation two teenagers sister in Badaun district, ventured outside to defecate due to lack of private toilet, were raped and murderd, stimulated the masses into anger and dissent. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB ) 90.00 per cent of all rapes in India occur when girls  go to outside alone in secluded places to urinate or defecate.
Sanitation and Health have been a matter of universal concern in all times of history and have attracted to the attention of the Academicians, Planners, Policy makers and Researchers. Sanitation condition directly or indirectly affects upon the quality of life, standard of living and better social well being. The future of the nation lies with its healthy population and the sick population is liability. A healthy and nutritionally well fed population is indispensible for the economic growth and development of nation. The condition of sanitation with regard to open defection and health status among the rural peoples of India is also very disheartening. According to 2011 Census, 68.8 per cent people are still living in rural areas. Access to clean and safe water, proper sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) are essential elements in achieving the better standard of health and healthy society. The peoples are not aware about their proper health consciousness due to illiteracy, poverty unemployment, lack of awareness and less per capita income and so on. So the researcher are very much keen interested to taken up this particular study. The outcomes from this study will be very much fruitful to the Policy makers and Ministry of Drinking water and Sanitation, Government of India.

Major Reason of Open Defection in India:


• Unwillingness to discontinue the personal habits
• Unable to construct toilet due to Poverty
• Defection in open is more natural and healthy
• Construct a toilet in home brings impurity and unhygienic
All these reason are based on information from Primary field Survey in Rural India, 2018


Major Diseases affected by Open defection practices:
• Diarrhea (Dysentery)
• Cholera
• Typhoid Fever
• Hepatitis
• Pneumonia
• Intestinal worm infection
• Encephalitis
All these reason are based on information from Primary field Survey in Rural India, 2018

Major Findings of the Study:

After careful observation of the study the researcher has find out the following.
These are-

1. The children’s (0-5 years) are mostly affected in the fatal diseases (Diarrhea and intestinal worm infection) due to the practices of open defection in barefoot. The parents of children or neighborhood should stop this unhealthy practice. There is an urgent need to organize a health awareness programme in countryside areas of India.

2. In our country India 68.8 per cent people still live in rural area. According to 2011 Census, the literacy rate of India is (74.04 per cent) is also lowest. The villagers poses various superstition and traditional practices such as to construct a toilet in home brings impurity and unhygienic, most of the peoples belonging to pure Hindu caste.

3. The Central Government enforced Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (to construct a toilet at subsidies rate) with regard to end open defection free in all over the district. But due to unawareness and malpractices among the different government segments and delays of the scheme works, this scheme is not fruitful in the study area.

4. The major causes of open defection in the rural areas is unwillingness to discontinue the personal habits of this practices. This clearly suggests that eliminating open defection is not possible without the change in individual behavior and mindsets.

Suggestion and Policy Implication:


The researcher has following suggestion are given to end the open defection practices in the study area. These are-

1. The Central Government, State Government and District Rural Development Agency should promote the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan and Balmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojna (to making toilet facility) in the rural area of India.

2. The Central Government should be appoint a Brand Ambassador, helpful in complete closure of open defection practices to the rural areas of India.

3. There should be extension services from the health sector to awareness about that open defection poses serious health risks, which haves a cascading effect on economic well-being of a family in the rural area of India.

4. The Self-Help Group and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers should take the responsibility and promote clean India Mission in rural areas to better develop and maintenance of the scheme.

Conclusion:

Besides Poverty, Hunger and starvation, Open defection practices are like a curse of New India. There are many campaigns and slogans rises to stop such the shameless practices like in Haryana state the slogan rises ‘No Toilet-No Bride’ which urged that women  to only marry the men whose home have a toilet facility and drone will be used to monitor people going out for defecate . Meanwhile in Madhya Pradesh, a law was passed in which anyone who not having a flush toilet facility in their home cannot contest in Panchyat elections. In the Contemporary, Chhattisgarh state announced that those peoples have not toilet facility in their home will be excluded from the government Public Distribution System (PDS) to get the essential food items. In rural India one of the major cause of girls dropout due to lack of separated girls toilet facility in the school. The second term NDA Government, led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, launched the nationwide Clean India Mission. The Government promises to the 121.01 crore peoples that, Toilet first-Temples later. The Ministry of drinking water and Sanitation, Government of India should adopt both short term plan and long term plan for achieving the Open Defection Free (ODF) country. According to the United Nation Report, (2015) India reduces open defection by 31 per cent. Let us accept it and prepare ourselves to meet the future challenges.

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Acknowledgement: The author is a Dynamic, prolific and articulate researcher from an Indian University. He has published many articles in the journals of International and national repute like Springer Series Journals, Scopus series Journals, UGC Referred and Peer-Reviewed Journals. His areas of specialization are Rural Development, Developmental Studies, Population Studies and Regional Planning and Development. The author can be contact through
e-mail-     areful2012@gmail.com