The “Sanitation for All’ Resolution (A/RES/67/291) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2013, designating 19 November as World Toilet Day. The Day is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with Governments and relevant stakeholders.
2.5 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation, including toilets or latrines, with dramatic consequences on human health, dignity and security, the environment, and social and economic development.
http://www.un.org/en/events/toiletday/
http://www.unwater.org/worldtoiletday
2016
The theme in 2016: Toilets and jobs
This year’s theme focuses on how sanitation, or the lack of it, can impact on livelihoods. Toilets play a crucial role in creating a strong economy.
A lack of toilets at work and at home has severe impacts upon businesses through problems in the workforce: poor health, absenteeism, attrition, reduced concentration, exhaustion, and decreased productivity. Loss of productivity due to illnesses caused by lack of sanitation and poor hygiene practices is estimated to cost many countries up to 5% of GDP.
PROVIDING TOILETS AND OTHER SANITATION SERVICES CREATES JOBS
The global demand for water and sanitation services is worth over $50 billion (Freedonia 2013). Treating sanitation provision as a long-term business opportunitys, could help attract investment.
Making it easy for people to set up sanitation businesses, as part of a bigger plan, will help
entrepreneurs to flourish and could accelerate progress. Particularly in the towns and cities of lowincome countries, populations are growing fast and their need for toilets and waste removal is already desperate. Small-scale service providers could play a vital role in getting toilets to people quickly and beginning the transformation of slum areas (WaterAid 2016).
• In the EU, there are more than 2.5 million jobs in the wastewater and solid waste management sectors (Ernst and Young 2006).
• The International Water Association (2014) assessed the capacity gap for trained water and
sanitation professionals to achieve universal water and sanitation access across 15 countries to be over 750,000 individuals.
http://www.worldtoiletday.info/wp-content/uploads/materials2016/Fact_Sheet/fact_sheet_toiletsandjobs_EN_3/fact_sheet_toiletsandjobs_EN_3.pdf
2014
What can you do to help make ‘sanitation for all’ a reality this World Toilet Day?
1. Run in The ‘Urgent Run’
Participate in The Urgent Run or host your own event for this year’s UN World Toilet Day. The Urgent Run (www.urgentrun.com) is a global mobilisation event to draw attention to the urgent calls for action to end the sanitation crisis. Sixteen events have been registered in 12 countries including Singapore, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Ghana, Italy, Senegal, and Mozambique.
2. Do a ‘Big Squat’
Hold a big squat and raise awareness of the more than 1 billion people who face the indignity of open defecation, which spreads diseases including cholera, typhoid, hepatitis and diarrhoea. Stop, drop, squat and share! Get friends, colleagues, classmates or family together, invite people in the local community and squat in a public place. Take photos or video, and share them on YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, Instagram, Flickr, Facebook or Twitter. Use the hashtags #bigsquat, #worldtoiletday and #opendefecation.
3. Share
Access to sanitation would make life safer and healthier for 1.25 billion women. Join the global movement for toilets and sanitation for all, and raise awareness by posting on Facebook, Instagram, Google+, posting a Vine or Tweeting this World Toilet Day. Show that you give a crap about toilets and sanitation, and raise your voice to call for action. Use the hashtags #wecantwait #worldtoiletday #opendefecation #sanitation and #igiveashit.
4. Become a public toilet advocate
Clean and safe toilets are fundamental for health, dignity, privacy, equality and education. Contact your local representative, community leader or member of parliament and let them know you care about public toilets in your area. Does your town need new public toilets? Are the toilets safe and accessible, clean and well-maintained? Is there an appropriate ratio of toilets for men and women, or ‘potty parity’?
Talk toilets with your local representative today.
5. Watch
Watch a World Toilet Day playlist and share videos on Facebook or Twitter to join the call for toilets and sanitation for all. Here’s one to start with – meet Mr Toilet. Jack Sim is a man on a mission to end the sanitation crisis, and he started by tackling the toilet taboo. Meet the man behind the World Toilet Organization who is proud to be called ‘Mr. Toilet’.
6. Talk crap!
Have a conversation with neighbours on sanitation. Send an email, send a text, post to Facebook, and raise awareness of the importance of action on sanitation.
7. Toilet Selfie
Encourage your friends to join the sanitation movement with a toilet selfie. Share news about developments in toilet designs etc.
8. Donate and Invest in toilets and sanitation for all
One third of the world’s population still lacks access to adequate sanitation. Donate to support the work of the Social Organizations involved in building toilets.
9. Learn
Did you know that toilets and sanitation are considered a human right? In 2010, the UN General Assembly recognised sanitation and water as a human right, essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights. Visit the UN World Toilet Day website unwater.org/worldtoiletday to learn about the sanitation crisis and how you can get involved.
10. Write a blog post if you are a blogger.
http://worldtoilet.org/ten-things-you-can-do-for-un-world-toilet-day/
17 November 2014
Modi urged the diaspora in Australia to build at least one toilet in the village of their origin in India.
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-11-18/news/56221851_1_indian-pm-modi-express-narendra-modi
March 2014
The details of the grant recipients for the “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge: India” are as follows:
Eram Scientific Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Kerela in collaboration with University of South Florida: A field trial grant to test off-grid, self-sustained, modular, electronic toilet for houses and communities with solar energy for Indian weather, integrated with mixed waste processing unit. The project will couple a modern, public toilet with an advanced onsite, biological treatment system. It will be housed in a standalone unit that will be initially field tested in a suburban slum.
Amrita School of Biotechnology, Kerela: A proof of concept grants to use viral agents to target and kill pathogens and odour-producing bacteria in fecal waste and also develop for a way to integrate this into waste treatment systems. This is a proof of concept grant.
Pradin Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore: The project will test the concept of using ultra-sound to reduce water use in a toilet. It will also test the ability to enhance the settling of fecal particles in a storage tank using ultra-sound. This is a proof of concept grant.
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee in collaboration with Fresh rooms Life Sciences: The project will develop a single household container that will cultivate Black Soldier Fly larvae, using human faeces, which can be processed into valuable products. The project will also demonstrate the market potential for these products. This is a proof of concept grant.
Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai: The project will evaluate the concept of using fine sand-like material and an air blower to create a water-free toilet interface that is free from odour and flies.
BITS PILANI K. K. Birla Goa Campus in collaboration with Ghent University and Sustainable Biosolutions LLP: The project will demonstrate a novel septic tank design that integrates electrochemistry to reduce organic pollutants and improve the quality of effluent discharged. The system will be demonstrated at a single household and society/gated community. This is a proof of concept grant.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2014/03/Indian-Researchers-Selected-to-Develop-Next-Generation-Toilets
2013
Reinvent the Toilet Challenge: India
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Reinvent-the-Toilet-Challenge
Updated 13 December 2016, 19 November 2014
