1. The document discusses ways to overcome sanitation prejudices and promote toilet usage. It addresses common objections like lack of space, water scarcity, smell, and preference for open defecation. 2. Responses emphasize health benefits like reducing disease transmission, safety especially for women and children, and environmental protection. Toilet designs that use minimal water and space are presented. 3. Maintaining clean public and shared toilets through user groups is suggested. Collective action to demand water connections is also proposed to address water scarcity objections.

1. SCOPE
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SAMBAV GWALIOR
APRIL 2ND
TO 4TH
2012
PART – 5 How to overcome Sanitation prejudices

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3. Have options to select the right model
to suite one’s purse . Can choose
according to your need like shirt,
clothes, saris etc from a big textile shop
suitability to the terrain most
important factor;
Lower than health expense; 3

4. • Yes, that must be because someone is
going for open defecation – or you
are not washing your hands or you
are letting flies sit on your food ...
Sanitation means toilets in all houses
which are regularly used.
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5. Yes, if that is my choice; my
choice is to have a good toilet –
why can’t you?
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6. • Times have changed! Tastes have changed;
• Area for open defecation fast dwindling in both urban
and rural areas because of population explosion
• Improvement in medical science as revealed the main
reason for spread of diseases like polio, diarrhoea
malaria typhoid dengue etc.
• mobile phones were not in existence a decade back
but today all want it but not many want toilets because
of ignorance of harmful effects of open defecation.
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7. Toilets have a bad smell
Properly constructed & maintained toilets will
not have bad smell
During the rainy season open defecation results
in bad smell all over the place because feaces is
carried to different places by water
Also, the pit must have a tight cover
If you keep toilet clean, it won’t smell! If you
don’t wash your clothes for 3 days, won’t it smell?
See, Mr. X’s toilet does not smell because it is
properly maintained– come I’ll show you!
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8. • You will be surprised that urine is a sterile
liquid with no smell
• But when the ammonia in urine evaporates and
the other salts or exposed to it creates a bad
smell
• You have seen the urine banks and ECOSAN
toilets
• Public toilets are not properly maintain by the
users – Public. Everyone’s property is nobody’s
property.
• User groups maintain public toilets well and
hygienically 8

9. No space to construct toilets
How much space do you think you will
need? Come, I will show you the space in your
house ... A toilet needs only a space of 4”X4”
If space is a problem select a shared-toilet
model then? We can help you to build a
shared-toilet for you and your neighbours – we
will show you different toilet options (including
on your roof, on veranda, under the staircase)
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10. ‘
• Have you used a community toilet
in a city? Do you know who used it
before you? Then why are you
bothered?!
• But, you must keep it clean and we
will help you to keep it clean ...
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11. • There is a difference between drinking water(potable
water) and other types of water uses – you don’t have
to use potable water for the toilet! You can use any
other type of water hard water or treated water can be
reused or recycled.
• Even now, you are defecating and using water – so
some water is available – now we have toilet options
which need only 3-4 litres water only for body
washing.
• If there is acute water scarcity – have to go 2-3 km to
get water – at that time, all people who want toilets
can ask government for water – then govt will provide!
Collective action can work ... 11

12. •‘Scarcity of water’ is relative – there is
always some water, otherwise no life is
possible.
•Use stored water – that is usually
poured out in the morning – for flushing?
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13. Have to queue for a toilet; no
queue outside!
• How long does it take you to walk up to
the p-kaadu?
• How impatient can you get?
• In a family, normally, not all get up at the
same time ...
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14. Even when one family chooses open
defecation the entire village gets spoilt.
In the rainy season, or at night, will open
defecation be comfortable?
Open defecation is risky since there will be
snakes , scorpions and other creatures to
keep company with you in the darkness
and among the bushes
More comfortable going outside
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15. • You can choose a better time – and a more pleasant
environment – to socialize?!
• It can get dangerous if you are going outside, even
with a friend, ... chain-snatching, molestation,
• so what is important? Enjoying ‘socialization’ under
such dangers, or being safe and using a toilet at
home?
• What about the dignity of the individual would not
women suffer privacy due to introduce 15

16. You can still walk – even
after defecation!
You can walk around – and
come back and defecate!
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17. Can smoke outside before – and then
come back to defecate?
It is all psychological! Cannot be a
physical problem since it does not
affect others .... So convince yourself –
that coffee or water also works!
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18. ‘
• To go to feet one has to walk . It is
better to have a toilet at home rather
than walking to field for the same
• Have to convince them on the health
aspects – impact on others – diarrhoea,
show films, etc.
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19. ‘
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20. If not constructed properly, it will fill up in
three months.
If constructed properly, it will last for at least 5
years?
80% of human faeces is water .
Wet human faecal matter – 250g on average per
day, when dry will be only 10g! Can be filled up
in a matchbox 20

21. Will the guest clean it?
Cleaning is not a problem if you use it
properly – first wet the pan, then defecate,
then flush – should not create need for
cleaning;
Cleaning must be shared – by everyone in
the family! And everytime after it is
cleaned immediately by the user 21

22. But if men defecate outside,
they will make the whole
village unsafe – polluting all
the water and causing health
problems 22

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24. • Health benefits – safety, security,
convenience, dignity – specially for
women, sick, disabled and elderly
• One or a few have no right to pollute
the village, the town, the environment
or the mother earth. 24

25. • Benefits are not always in terms of money
– there are intangibles – time saving, better
health, less leave, less wage loss due to days
sick, more savings on health costs, less
strain, mentally-free from tension or strain
(esp. women)
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