Sociology of open defecation in India

[hinduwoman]

I always thought (trained to think that way by my social environment!) that in rural areas in India people defecate in the open because there are lack of cheap toilets. But apparently this is a not a problem in other poorer countries. Also many Indians who can afford to have toilets don't have them and govt. built toilets public and private go unused. New research suggests (sorry the papers have no public links) that most Indians defecate in the open because they want to!

Apparently people feel that it is healthier to walk out in the open fields: it is good exercise and you get fresh air. Staying indoors is for the old and infirm. So when our new Prime Minister spoke about the problems women faced because there are no private toilet it reinforced the belief it is more manly to do it in the open. And apparently it is also good for social bonding There is nothing to be embarassed about doing it in public; so why bother about a private one?

Good manure for soil too!

Hindus are also more reluctant because the defiling waste matter should be far from home so as not to pollute it. I remember in my childhood hardly any homes even in towns had bathrooms attached to bedrooms. The toilet, no matter how nicely constructed, was always far removed from the bedrooms and kitchen, usually at the back of the house.

Healthworkers have not yet managed to make the people realize (possibly because earlier it was blamed on poverty?) that such open latrines are centres of infection. In the golden days of yore, population density was very low and it was more hygenic to go far from the village. Nowadays there are no such large open spaces that is safely away from the settlement. But it does explain why doing it on railway tracks is popular --- far from the villages.
(Anecdote alert: a group of tribals came to the local hospital in a big town; they were mightily impressed by it, so shiny and a flush! But it remained a tourist attraction because they only wanted to gape at it and not use it. This was about 30 years ago, thing do not seem to have progressed further)

Watched an interview in a village about the fate of the govt. built toilet. The women explained they feel claustrophobic using a small enclosed room. I never really thought about how if one is used to doing it in open air she can feel hemmed in by a toilet cubicle.

I guess I am living in India while most are in Bharat.

 

[Clivedurdle]

There are a fascinating series of courses on Coursera by University of Manchester about sanitation. This is a very big problem, for example mobile phones are understood as more important.

 

[Bronzeage]

Herodotus observed the Egyptians were a peculiar people because they ate outdoors and defecated indoors, contrary to the practice of nearly every other nation on Earth.

There is probably nothing more deeply rooted in social custom than toilet practices. The hazards of untreated sewage is one of the greatest limiting factors on any civilization and one of the most difficult problems to address, especially when custom is contrary to safe practice.

 

[Clivedurdle]

There are some amazing examples to study!

The Islamic faith has particular rules regarding personal hygiene when going to the toilet. This code is known as Qadaa' al-Haajah. Eating any food while on the toilet is strictly forbidden.[1][2]

Issues of chirality, such as whether one uses the left or right hand and foot to step into or out of toilet areas, are derived from hadith sources.[3] The only issue which the Qur'an mentions is the one of washing one's hands especially following going to the toilet which is mentioned in verse 5:6.


A Muslim must first find an acceptable place away from standing water, or people's pathways or shade.[4] They are advised that it is better to enter the area with the left foot,[5] facing away from the Qiblah.[1]

While on the toilet, one must remain silent. Talking, answering greetings or greeting others is strongly discouraged.[1] The private parts must be washed with water after defecating or urinating to minimize germs that are present on urine and feces. When defecating together, two men cannot converse, nor look at each other's genitals.[6] A man should not touch his genitals with the right hand.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

When leaving the toilet, one is advised to leave with the right foot,[5] and also say a prayer – "Praise be to Allah who relieved me of the filth and gave me relief."[1] This is similar in concept to Asher yatzar, the prayers said by orthodox Jews when leaving the toilet in which they thank God for the orifices used to defecate/urinate,[14] and exact ways of proceeding and accompanying prayers are also specified in traditional Zoroastrianism.[15] It is also reported in the Hadith of Bukhari that whenever Prophet Muhammad went to the toilet, he said "In the name of Allah, O Allah! I seek refuge with You from all offensive and wicked things" (alternate translation: "from evil deeds and evil spirits")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_toilet_etiquette

Just noted wiki states "to minimise germs". My understanding is that some parts of these practices are unhygenic.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

That's really interesting. You can see how something that started as a good idea by moving the defecation away from the house turned into a bad idea once population densities reached a point where doing so caused the problem that the practice was designed to solve.

 

[Sarpedon]

I'm amazed at this still being an unsolved problem. Gandhi was harping on this before India was even independent, and it still hasn't been fixed.

 

[Valjean]

There is also an issue of public safet: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/india-rape-toilets_n_5437467.html

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — The two teenage girl cousins had walked out together at night, as they did every night, into the wild bamboo fields 10 or 15 minutes from their mud-and-straw huts to relieve themselves. Like millions of families across India, they had no toilet at home.

In the dark, they were attacked, gang-raped and killed. The assailants then hung their bodies from a mango tree in their village.

"More than 60 percent of the rapes in the state occur when the victims step out to relieve themselves because they do not have toilets at their homes," Ashish Gupta told reporters in the state capital, Lucknow. "It is difficult to give protection to every woman who goes out in the open to relieve herself."

 

[hinduwoman]

I'm amazed at this still being an unsolved problem. Gandhi was harping on this before India was even independent, and it still hasn't been fixed.

Because it has not been treated as a really important issue till recently and because of false equivalence between the practice and poverty.
People simply don't get why this is important, wheres they understand that mobile phones are neccessary in today's world.

 

[Derec]

The UN is on the case with this weird music video. Note the aforementioned mobile phones and railroad tracks.

 

[NobleSavage]

When I visit India some day should I poop outside to fit in with the local culture?

 

[thebeave]

Its a problem here in so-called First World countries. Namely in San Francisco.

http://missionlocal.org/2011/09/street-science-the-poop-on-your-sidewalk-part-i/