World Toilet Day is celebrated all across the globe every year on November 19 to raise awareness about the urgent need for having access to clean toilets and water. Toilets are responsible for our overall health, and improper access to them can result in serious illnesses.
World Toilet Day ensures that people are informed and educated of the necessity of having proper sanitation and their health benefits. On World Health Day, we are here to brief you a little about the history and importance of this day. Please try and raise your voice towards the same and bring about a change.
World Toilet Day History
World Toilet Day was first celebrated on July 24, 2013. It observed the theme of “Sanitation for all”. From that year, World Toilet Day started to be observed on November 19 every year. The World Toilet organization began its campaign in the year 2001 and raised awareness regarding the importance of sanitation.
In 2013, the UN General Assembly started contributing to encouraging its global citizens to practice hygiene and cleanliness. The organization has also set certain goals to be achieved by 2030! These goals have been named Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDG6). Under these goals, the organization has pledged to provide clean sanitation facilities to every human on Earth by 2030.
World Toilet Day Significance
The global sanitation crisis that has affected more than 3 billion people without proper access to sanitation is the highlight of World Toilet Day. the need to provide these people proper and safe access to sanitation while also achieving the 6 Sustainable Development Goals is the main focus of World Toilet Day.
The critical issue of sanitation and building proper toilets needs to be addressed in order to make a better and healthier society. It is believed that 58% of the total global cases of diarrhea are due to poor hygiene and improper sanitation. There are millions, especially in India who still go out in the open for defecation. This is not only unhygienic but also a great source of environmental pollution.
It is high time that we seriously address this global crisis and act immediately. This has to be resolved, keeping in mind the health conditions of many involved in it.
World Toilet Day 2022 Theme
The theme of World Toilet Day 2022 is “Groundwater and sanitation: making the invisible visible”. If you are one of those lucky ones with clean and safe access to sanitation, be grateful and work towards providing the same to everyone. Every year the UN sets particular themes to address the global crisis.
Some of the previous year’s themes have been listed below:
- 2016: Toilets and jobs
- 2017: Wastewater
- 2018: Nature-based solutions
- 2019: Leaving no one behind
- 2020: Sustainable sanitation and climate change
- 2021: Valuing Toilet
Do you Know?
- Over 4.2 billion people, which accounts for 40% of the total population, do not have access to improved sanitation.
- Clean toilets have been said to increase 20 years in the human lifespan for the past 200 years.
- The UN believes to provide water and sanitation to every citizen by the year 2030 under the sustainable development goals.
- People have more mobile phones than proper toilets.
- Malnutrition and other diseases have been majorly caused by poor sanitation, women, and children suffering the most.
- Deaths due to diarrhea in children under 5 are the leading cause of poor sanitation and unclean water. This can easily be avoided with proper access to clean toilets and clean water.
The Global Urgent Run
The Urgent Run on World Toilet Day was started by the World Toilet Organization and is a global event that is organized to take urgent action towards ending the sanitation crisis. Several communities come together across the globe and participate in the run or walk for sanitation which is followed by World Toilet Day on November 19.
No wonder it’s urgent as at least 1 in 3 people is still unable to get proper access to clean toilets. Thousands of children are dying every day due to poor hygienic conditions. This urgency is needed to bring about better health and improved sanitation for those who need it.
You can join the global urgent run by registering yourself at www.urgentrun.com.
