World Toilet Day 2019: Leaders Urge People Across The Globe To Use A Toilet

New Delhi: To tackle the phenomena of open defecation in the world, November 19 marks the ‘World Toilet Day’. A Singaporean businessman Jack Sim in 2001 decided to associate a particular day with toilets in 2001, as poor sanitation was killing people and costing millions. In 2012, he founded the World Toilet Organisation and declared November 19 as World Toilet Day. One year later, in 2013, the United Nations adopted the day and passed a resolution recognising November 19 as an official UN international World Toilet Day. Two years later, the UN also set a target to ensure everyone has access to a household toilet in the world by 2030.

Also Read: Toilets Should Be Used By Everyone, Every Day And Forever, Urges Actor Kajol For A Swasth And Swachh India

Every year, the day is celebrated with a unique theme. This year, the theme for the day is “Leaving No One Behind” with a message that ‘a toilet is not just a toilet. It’s a life-saver, dignity-protector and opportunity-maker. Whoever you are, wherever you are, sanitation is your human right.’

According to the United Nations, today, around the globe, 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation. With the target to give access to safe sanitation, leaving no one behind, this year World Toilet Day will be celebrated across the globe.

Sharing the success story of India’s sanitation and Swachh Bharat Mission, today, leaders took to social media to wish netizens World Toilet Day 2019 and urge people across the globe to continue the use of toilets and help make India a better and swachh country.

Also Read: PM Modi Declares India Open Defecation Free, Says More Than 11 Crore Toilets Built

Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan said,

In last five years, rural sanitation coverage in the country has increased from 39 per cent to 100 per cent. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin, 10.13 crore toilets were constructed and 5.99 lakh villages were declared open defecation free. Moreover, 60.36 lakh toilets were constructed in urban areas and 4,320 cities were made open defecation free. This is the beginning of New India. On the occasion of #WorldToiletDay, I call upon the countrymen and urge them to continue their efforts towards making our country clean by making use of toilets on a daily basis.

Sharing the impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Param Iyer said,

Happy World Toilet Day from Team SBM. With India now being an ODF country, 3,00,000 diarroheoal deaths have been avoided since 2014, as per the World Health Organisation survey 2018.

He further added, “According to UNICEF 2017, a household in an ODF village saves Rs 50,000every year on an average on account of health costs avoided. Moreover, between 2014 to 2019, approximately, 75.5 lakh full-time equivalent jobs have been created by Swachh Bharat Mission, as reported by UNICEF 2019.”

Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also reiterated these positive statistics and said,

Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi the successful #SwachhBharat Mission has been the biggest behavioral change program, which is unprecedented & historic even at the global stage. On this day, let’s pledge to keep the momentum going for sanitation. Let’s spread the word.

Also Read: Made Out Of 3,500 Discarded Plastic Bottles, This 41-Year-Old School In Nashik Finally Gets A Functional Girls’ Toilet

Other political leaders who shared messages on World Toilet Day 2019 are:

Spiritual Guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev also took to social media to spread awareness about the use of toilets, he said, “As it is important to have access to food and water, it is equally important for a human being to have access to a clean toilet to bring health, well-being and to establish human dignity. This becomes a very important dimension.”

Apart from the leaders, founder of World Toilet Organisation and the man who first thought of associating toilets with a day, Jack Sim also congratulated PM Narendra Modi on the success of Swachh Bharat Mission, he said,

I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everyone on the success of Swachh Bharat Mission. After building all these toilets, now is the time for behavioural change, safe sanitation practices and protection of the underground water and sewage treatment. If you can do all this well, you will soon have healthy and wealthy people. Enjoy the use of toilets.