This refers to the editorial "Toilet-training India" (October 2). Building toilets, especially in rural and tribal areas, should be done on a priority basis. Charitable organisations and large corporate houses should build toilets in such areas to stop people from defecating in the open. As pointed out in the editorial, people should be first educated on how to use the toilets built for them. They should also be made aware of the disadvantages of defecating in the open. Municipal councillors, gram panchayats and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can play key role in this regard.
Schoolchildren should be taught the disadvantages and health hazards of open defecation. Doctors and medical practitioners should be sent to remote areas to educate people - using techniques such as slide shows, books and so on - about the benefits of using toilets. The government, with the help of media, should highlight the use of toilets and the various ill-effects of open defecation.
With government support, and corporations and NGOs playing their parts, there is no reason India cannot be free from the menace of open defecation.
Veena Shenoy Thane
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