World Toilet Day, celebrated annually on November 19, is an official United Nations observance aimed at raising global awareness and action to address the urgent sanitation crisis. Observed since 2013, this day has been dedicated to emphasising the importance of safe and accessible toilet facilities as part of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030.

This year’s theme is ‘Toilets – A Place for Peace’ which emphasises that billions of people face heightened threats to sanitation due to conflict, climate change, natural disasters, and systemic neglect.

This year, India is going to launch the “Hamara Shauchalay, Hamara Samman” campaign, tomorrow which will culminate on December 10, Human Rights Day, linking sanitation with human rights and the universal need for dignity and privacy, especially for women and girls.

The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has been a cornerstone of India’s efforts to improve sanitation and eliminate open defecation, marking a transformative journey since its launch in 2014. Under SBM-Gramin, substantial progress has been made, including the construction of over 11.73 crore household toilets, resulting in more than 5.57 lakh ODF Plus villages. This initiative significantly contributed to public health, with WHO reporting 300,000 fewer diarrheal deaths by 2019 compared to 2014.

The mission’s economic impact was equally impressive, saving ODF villages an average of INR 50,000 per family annually on healthcare. The urban counterpart, Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, also met and exceeded its targets, facilitating the construction of 63.63 lakh household latrines and over 6.36 lakh community and public toilets. These efforts led to 4,576 cities achieving ODF status, with many progressing to ODF+ and ODF++ designations.

The mission has profoundly impacted women’s safety and dignity, with 93% of women in ODF regions reporting enhanced feelings of security. Collectively, SBM has laid the foundation for a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable India, aligning with the overarching goals of World Toilet Day and SDG 6.

World Toilet Day was established to shed light on the challenges faced by billions worldwide due to inadequate sanitation. The observance underscores the indispensable role of proper toilet facilities in maintaining public and environmental health by preventing the spread of deadly diseases such as cholera. There is a desperate need for sanitation services with 3.5 billion people still living without safely managed sanitation and 419 million practicing open defecation around the world.

Sanitation services act as a protective barrier, ensuring that human waste does not enter ecosystems and endanger communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2023 that unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene are responsible for approximately 1,000 deaths of children under the age of five every day. Improved sanitation could potentially save 1.4 million lives annually, highlighting the urgent need for action.

The 2024 campaign for World Toilet Day carries a clear and urgent message: governments must ensure that sanitation and water services are resilient, effective, and accessible to everyone, safeguarded against conflict and climate-induced disruptions. The statistics are staggering—2.2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, and 2 billion lack basic hygiene services, including 653 million with no facilities at all.