Question

Sanitation (fresh water in, human waste out) is the earliest known form of human leaders/governments taking a hand in issues of waste/pollution. Why do you think it was sanitation, as opposed to other wastes we've examined, that got the government involved? Do you think access to sanitation (clean water and a toilet) should be considered a human right, meaning that governments are obligated to provide it even to people who can't afford it?

Answer 1

- Wastes are in simple words "unwanted or unusable materials which may be produced as a result of some process". In most cases these materials causes a serious threat to life if not disposed off properly as it's accummulation may lead to growth of unwanted  microbes or disease carrying agents called pathogens.

- Out of wastes, Human waste is considered as most important, as it is a source for both viral and bacterial diseases. When these pathogens are introduced into the environment, some of these can remain infectious and active for long durations of time. Under specific conditions, they may be able to multiply in the environment. So, this presents a potential threat to human health and it should not be allowed to come in contact with human beings after their excretion. This is what sanitation does. Sanitation is the process of maintaining cleanliness and dealing with the proper management and disposal of wastes.

- Improper sanitation generally implies open defecation. When people defecate in the open, the feces generally seeps through the ground and into the water systems, ground water etc. and contaminates them. Just standing in such a zone alone can lead to sickness because for an actual risk of disease the excreted pathogens must reach a human host and open defacation provides a very favourable condition for this to happen.

- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, commonly termed as "WASH", are major aspects that have a direct impact on  the health and well-being of every being  in the world. Everyone needs clean and safe water to drink. They need a safe place to pee and poop and to be able to clean themselves.

-The fact is that people who have these facilities just take them for granted and do not appreciate its importance. But for others, hundreds of millions of them, who lack these facilities experience a great amount of stress and illness such as diarrhoea etc.

-The quality of water, sanitation and hygiene has a direct relation with a person's financial status, the type or region he dwells in whether urban or rural, the climatic and social characteristics of the region etc.

- Another sad but crucial point to be noted is that some of these people are not even aware of what good sanitation is and its importance in their health and well-being. This may be due to lack of education or socio-cultural characteristics of the society.

- Here is where the leaders/ the government should come in. They should create awareness and provide the poor who can't afford these with proper sanitation facilities. Many studies have shown that the occurence of many diseases is reduced significantly when people have access to, and make regular use of, proper sanitation facilities.

- A nation's most important asset is their citizens. If the country is to develop then it should start from the grassroot levels which is most essentialy the health of the people. The government can invest in water purification methods, maintaining sources of water in it's pristine form and the construction of latrines. It can be considered as a human right because of the huge influence it has on their lives and the degree of consequences it can invite in case of its negligence

- A healthy mind can only be found in a healthy body. When people are not getting sick, they become more productive and everyone benefits. So the governments should prioritise health and sanitation of their citizens. Because these are the major foundation stones for the overall growth of the society.