New Delhi is buzzing with excitement following the recent launch of the nationwide sanitation campaign titled “Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman,” which signifies "Our Toilet: Our Dignity." This ambitious campaign, initiated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), coincided with World Toilet Day on November 19, 2024, and is set to run through December 10, Human Rights Day.
The campaign stands at the intersection of sanitation, human rights, and dignity, particularly emphasizing the core role of clean and safe toilets for women and girls. It aligns with global efforts set under the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6), focused on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
World Toilet Day, celebrated annually, aims to raise awareness about the sanitation crisis affecting billions across the globe. This year's theme, “Toilets – A Place for Peace,” sheds light on how conflict, climate change, and systemic neglect amplify sanitation challenges for many vulnerable communities.
Despite significant achievements, the need for resilient sanitation systems remains urgent. A staggering 3.5 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation services, and 419 million continue to practice open defecation, underscoring the magnitude of the issue.
The campaign is not just about constructing toilets; it’s about changing behavior to create healthier communities. The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), which began its transformative work back in 2014, has played an integral role. It achieved the monumental task of declaring India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2019, but this new phase aims to maintain and build upon those efforts.
One of the campaign's central tenets is fostering community pride by enhancing both the functionality and aesthetics of toilet facilities. The tagline “Shauchalya sanware, jeewan nikhare” emphasizes the idea of improving toilets to enrich lives. By implementing competitions to reward well-maintained toilets, the campaign seeks to encourage collective pride and engagement.
Alongside these competitions, the initiative hosts various activities, including special dignity camps honoring sanitation workers – the unsung heroes of cleanliness. These events recognize their contributions and integrate them more deeply within welfare programs.
At the heart of the campaign’s goals is the empowerment of local communities. Secretary of the DDWS, Ashok K K Meena, underscored the importance of this grassroots approach. He stated, “Sanitation is a cornerstone of dignity and development. The ‘Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman’ campaign is fashioned to empower communities, with responsibilities allocated at every level.”
The government’s focus on engaging vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls, highlights the multifaceted nature of sanitation. Toilets are more than infrastructure; they represent dignity, equality, and public health.
To drive participation and awareness, citizens are encouraged to share their sanitation success stories on social media platforms using the hashtags #ToiletsForDignity and #MyToiletMyPride. This outreach strategy is expected to instigate more personal connections to the issues of sanitation and public health.
World Toilet Day serves as both reminder and rallying point for sustained action on sanitation. The government has mobilized states and union territories to conduct ground-level surveys to identify gaps and accelerate the construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs). Such moves will extend the reach of the campaign, ensuring inclusive access for all residents.
The SBM has seen tremendous success since its inception, with over 11.73 crore toilets built nationwide, resulting in more than 5.57 lakh ODF Plus villages and 4,576 cities dedicately achieving ODF status. Thanks to these initiatives, there has been reported public health improvement, including fewer diarrhea-related deaths.
With the campaign encouraging both competitiveness and community unity, it hopes to create lasting changes beyond just infrastructure, aiming for deep-rooted behavioral shifts.
India's campaign exemplifies how addressing sanitation is not solely about facilities, but fundamentally about fostering dignity and honor for every individual. The vision is clear: by working together, there’s hope for achieving universal sanitation access, thereby protecting public health and enhancing private dignity.
At the end of the day, the launch of “Hamara Shauchalay: Hamara Samman” on World Toilet Day highlights the renewed commitment to ensuring everyone has access to proper sanitation practices, affirming the belief no one should be left behind when it concerns fundamental human rights. It’s about maintaining the progress made, adapting to new challenges, and ensuring the dignity and health of every citizen is prioritized.
