Sanitation in India With Focus On Toilets and Disposal of Human Excreta

This book dwells on only one factor in some depth, i.e., the availability of toilets and the disposal of human excreta by building toilets in the context of equity. It discusses the availability of toilet facility at the household level in India by examining the available information on households having toilets over time and variations across regions. Further, it deals with the health impact of improper disposal of or handling of human excreta, especially that of young children. Next, it examined the sociological, cultural and economic factors hindering the use of toilets and the consequences of open defecation especially on women. The book discusses the role of caste and efforts to restore human dignity among and rights of the scavenging community and it also gives a brief discussion on the design of individual toilets and community complexes such that the need to handle excreta by humans is eliminated. The book raises some questions for further reflection and research.