I’ve seen a lot of stories in the past week or two on this very topic. It seems to be really hot in journalism circles.
But they miss the point. The problem isn’t plumbing. It’s culture. The journalists who believe in diversity and who think all cultures are equal, also think that a government grant to build toilets for villagers would solve this problem.
They miss the point entirely.
Toilets here are readily available, even for poor families, should they want to install one. In all but the largest cities, the toilet empties into a septic tank anyway; city sewer systems are rudimentary at best. So it’s not that they can’t get them. It really is the culture. Most just don’t want one, even the typical “squat”-style ones that are little more than a fancy hole in the floor.
I should note that the 10,000-rupee cost (about $160) cited in the article is a bit steep. The actual fixture itself can be had for maybe 1000 rupees tops, and it is possible to find old fixtures for free. Hiring labor to install one might cost another couple thousand. If one is in the process of building a house, it becomes very easy (and costs essentially no more) to add in space for the toilet, with only a slight increase in the amount of other materials needed. Retrofitting a house does cost more, but again, probably not 10000 rupees.
Granted, though, even 5000 rupees is a lot for some of these people, who live on maybe half that a month.
I will say this too: Outhouses aren’t going to work here. Too many of the local poisonous animals would find an outhouse a very accommodating residence, and a dawn/dusk visit could very likely be fatal due to the confined space.
This is not about being poor, it is about being animals.
nope. In fact I have told my husband that if I ever say I want to go to India, I have completely lost my mind.
Just kill me. UGH. I shudder just thinking about it.
My ViewMaster pics of the Taj Mahal are the closest I will ever get.
“The streets are dotted with motorbikes and the occasional car, luxury items mostly acquired as part of a dowry.
Kailash’s dowry did not include a motorbike, but her husband has purchased a television set and a satellite dish - even though the electricity comes on for four hours every day at most.
He could probably have afforded a toilet, with the help of a government grant available for this purpose. But while Kailash’s husband treats his wife well, doesn’t drink liquor or abuse her physically, a toilet was not his priority.
“Toilets are not so important for men,” Kailash says.”
Yep. It was an eye- (and nose-) opener.
The first issue is that by leaving the house, it is accepted that the women are fair game for rape and molestation.