Srinivasan Services Trust (SST), the social arm of TVS Motor Company and Sundaram-Clayton Limited, has made tremendous efforts in promoting and sustaining toilet hygiene among the rural communities.
Every year in November, the United Nations celebrates World Toilet Day to create awareness about the importance of sanitation. It takes stock of actions taken to tackle issues surrounding sanitation across the globe. The theme for this year was ‘Making the invisible visible’. This was created to build awareness around the impact of inadequate sanitation system on underground water resources. Safely managed sanitation programmes have now become the need of the hour as it is the only way to safeguard groundwater from human waste pollution and its subsequent impact on the larger ecosystem.
From India perspective, improper toilet infrastructures, open defecation, water shortage, improper waste management are some of the sanitation challenges that affects the country especially rural India where almost 64% of the population resides. According to a survey conducted by National Statistical Organisation in 2018, around 28.7 per cent Indians living in rural areas have no access to toilets and 32 per cent practised open defecation. While in 2019, India was declared as Open Defecation Free, however, a joint monitoring programme by WHO and UNICEF released in 2021 stated that 15% of Indian population still defecates in the open. The impact of open defecation on groundwater is lesser known and understood. It not only contaminates the groundwater, it also threatens drinking water supplies, farming community needs and the larger ecosystem. The communities are vulnerable to viruses and bacteria with high chances of conditions like diarrhea, cholera or dysentery.
If we were to look at the future generation i.e. the student community, the toilet accessibility is a big concern. In many areas, school infrastructures lack properly constructed toilets which is a challenge for the students. According to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2020-2021 report, over 15,000 schools have no toilets. Dasra, an NGO, conducted a survey on sanitation challenges in India, stating that 23 per cent of girls drop out of school upon reaching puberty due to poor water, sanitation and hygiene facilities at schools. The crucial role of toilet hygiene in development of good health, education and quality of life cannot be overlooked as it also helps in achieving Sustainable Development Goals for a brighter future.
In order to bridge the gap, Srinivasan Services Trust (SST), the social arm of TVS Motor Company and Sundaram-Clayton Limited, has made tremendous efforts in promoting and sustaining toilet hygiene among the rural communities. Over the last 26 years, SST has carried out renovation work in 634 schools and 704 Anganwadis, which includes renovation of toilets in a significant number, with the participation of community and the support of the district administration. Apart from this, SST has carried out renovation works in 185 Community Structures like community toilets, water tanks and community halls. SST works in partnership with communities to ensure local people get involved in the maintenance of renovated school toilets and their wages are paid by both the community and SST.
SST’s intervention, especially in schools, has increased enrolment and attendance, as students feel more secure and safe. The impact of these renovation work is visible among the parents of school children and villagers too, as they have been motivated to have toilets in their homes. Improved hygiene is the most important impact created by toilets repaired and built by SST over the last two decades. SST is working for community development and empowerment in 2,500 villages across India. Every year SST invests crores of rupees in infrastructure repairs and renovation in villages.
India joined the mission to become “Clean and Open Defecation Free Country” with Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 and since then it has made a considerable progress in this direction. This initiative by SST is also a huge step towards bringing the communities closer to happy, healthy and sustainable quality of living.
