22
HEALTH AND SANITATION
The importance of
toilets
On 1 October last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO)
launched their Guidelines on Sanitation and Health. The aim is
to eradicate the 829 000 annual diarrhoeal deaths due to unsafe
water, sanitation, and hygiene.
By Warren Robertson
It is a bold ambition and one made even stronger by WHO’s
stated goal of universal sanitation coverage by 2032.
The guidelines call for four separate interventions from
government and corporate businesses in every country
around the world: Accessible toilets for entire communities
that safely contain excreta through sanitation interventions;
Their statement promised, “For every USD1
invested in sanitation, WHO estimates a nearly
six-fold return as measured by lower health costs,
increased productivity, and fewer premature
deaths.”
Pit latrines are one of the most common solutions to open defecation.
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September 2019 Volume 25 I Number 7