A family that invests in a toilet will save Rs 50,000/ yr: Unicef study

The cost-benefit ratio of a household found in the study was 430% in fully Open defecation free communities.

A family that invests in a toilet will save Rs 50,000 a year in India, said an independent survey by UNICEF. 

The study conducted across 10000 households in 12 states to measure the economic impact of sanitation at a household level discovered that a single rupee invested in sanitation, allows a family to save Rs 4.30 by averting medical costs.

"This means that in terms of cost-benefit ratio, considering in one hand the expenditures of the households and of the government, and financial savings induced by improved sanitation on the other, an investment of Rs 1 led to a saving of Rs 4.3," said Nicolas Osbert, Chief, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), UNICEF, India.

Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, said that under Swachh Bharat Mission, 2.4 lakh households in 200 districts across five states have already been declared open defecation free. "In addition to that, over 1.5 lakh villages have listed themselves in the Village Swachhta Index, which looks at solid and liquid waste management. An independent survey conducted by the Quality Council of India has found that household toilet usage stands at 91 per cent," said Iyer.