SANITATION- A part of our necessities

What are our basic needs?

Food, clothing, and shelter, right! But I disagree at this point from you all. Food, clothing, and shelter are not the only names that we must remember while talking about our basic needs; if you consider my point then I will like to mention that now SANITATION also plays a major part in our lives and we have to include it in the list of our basic needs or necessities. You know that food, clothing and all such things will be of no use if we and our society are not healthy and sanitation plays a very major role in that. If we want to know the role of sanitation in our lives then first we should know the meaning of it.

SANITATION

Meaning of sanitation

It basically refers to the sanitary measures that are taken at the individual as well as community levels. If we are mentioning the term sanitary measures then we must be clear about this term also.

Sanitary measures

These are the steps that are taken at individual and at the societal level to basically get free from or rid of different types of wastes and these wastes can be dirt, pollutants, toxic agents, fertilizers, pesticides, nuclear wastes, human and animal wastes, etc.

You know when we see towards the downtrodden parts of our society much work is needed in the context of sanitation. Thus, sanitation or sanitary measures have become a major part of our so-called busy lives. Now, it is gaining the much-needed importance which it was demanding for centuries in a voice which was suppressed under the throne of politics!!

It is well known that the primitive stage of humans coexisted with animals in a very close association. From the early Australopithecus to the present day Homo sapiens, man and his ancestors have modified and cultivated the resources, the gifts of nature according to their use for their survival. But when he used these resources as a consequence waste was generated. The same fact goes with our body also when we consume something the body uses the nutritive thing and the waste (toxic) gets ready for elimination. So, there comes the need of sanitation.

Need of sanitation

At individual level

When we talk about the need for sanitation at the individual level, we or I want to signify that why an individual should take care of his various parts and use them properly and effectively when required. Some of our parts are just so delicate that they can even stop functioning if not kept clean and one such is the fallopian tubes of the human females which when subjected to unhealthy conditions can degenerate and can even make a female sterile at any age and the other one is the loin region of the human males which can lead to severe impairments. So, it becomes a compulsion that cannot be avoided.

What is the meaning of sanitation at individual levels?

At any level, the aspect is going to remain the same but the change comes in the ways to get it acquired. You know in today’s time it has become really important to know about our surrounding. So, I will talk about the conditions that have prevailed and might be prevailing in our country India when it comes to sanitation.

SANITATION

India and sanitation

Once the great leader Mahatma Gandhi said- “it is much more important for a country to be sanitized then to get freedom”.

When at that very crucial point he understood the need for a clean and hygienic environment, then why we do not understand? You know the condition was so poor once that our brothers and sisters were literally dying because of unhygienic conditions. For an instance, if we talk about our national capital DELHI, apart from its name and fame it has become famous for its’ completely dirty water of YAMUNA river due to this the labourers (immigrants from other parts of the country) living along the banks of Yamuna have suffered a lot. After so many campaigns also the water of Yamuna is not that much clean and fit for consumption and the reason being the direct drainage of the chemicals and toxic affluent into this river. The labours are still suffering as they used this toxic water for their daily uses even though they used it to clean their private parts while defecating in open.

You know why because they had no other choice except using that dirty water and the consequence of it was unimaginable. These immigrants started getting infections and diseases in their private parts and they were completely unknown what was happening to them. Sometimes the conditions became that much worst that many have lost their privates and some have even become sterile.

Many of you can think that this cannot be true and if it happens so then what can we do for it! But I don’t think if we are born in this human race then we can be that much insensitive to our fellow beings. There was a heart-threatening case where a male of around 20-25 years working as a daily wager in Delhi and living near the Yamuna lost his both legs. Don’t think that it was an accident; it was just because of an infection that occurred in his loin region. Just imagine, you left your hometown, came and settled in a new place just to get two times meal and then suddenly you lose your hand or a leg, what will your condition be?

So, you see this is where we are lacking behind and this just is highlighting the need for sanitation!!

You know only development can’t take a nation forward; the cleanliness and hygiene make you able to stand next to god.

At community level

Community starts with the gathering of 1000-10000 people; the history has witnessed many epidemical conditions which are because of not taking care of the proper cleanliness of the surrounding. Some examples that can be quoted are spreading of diseases like, typhoid, skin infections, ringworms, diarrhoea, etc., it has been evident many times that when unhealthy conditions prevail then the growth of the children gets retarded. It is even that an unhealthy and dirty condition hinders the survival of any species. And to counter these steps should be taken at home first because cleanliness starts at home like any other noble work. You know with the changing time the teachers have also changed their faces, most of the times it is the kid who teaches us the most valuable thing. So, I think that awareness should be spread at school first among the students so they can aware their families also. Basic steps should be taught at the community level like in villages women can be taught about:

·        keeping water clean

·        food clean and protected

·        distributing sanitary napkins

·        distributing chlorine tablets

·        using covering nets

·        wearing clean and comfortable clothes

if we want our country to be clean we should take part in spreading awareness because when more and more people will get knowledge about it then only our surroundings will sound hygienic.

SANITATION

Steps were taken by the planning commission

Each and every government had some pros and cons, none of them had proved themselves as perfect till the time; the same goes in this context also. Although much work and development are needed but still a very important and most required step was taken, that was waiting for his voice to be heard from past many years i.e. building toilets under the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ in each and every house of our country.

Yap, that is the point before this initiative many of us didn’t have toilets!

But the condition has improved; now the girls and women are not forced to defecate in open like earlier. So, I think sooner or later we are paving our way towards the right path.