March 28, 2017-The government agencies have declared a number of rural and urban areas open defecation free areas to meet its millennium development goal.

Those areas were declared open defecation free zones even if there are not enough public toilets to relieve whenever it is urgent. Such a move was launched as a national campaign just for the sake of publicity. However, the government has not been able to declare the Kathmandu Valley an open defecation free area.

Open defecation is rampant in the Valley in areas with floating population especially in bus parks or in areas where a large number of people commute regularly. Data show that there are still 17,427 households without toilets in Kathmandu. It means that these households empty their bowels in public spaces. Before declaring any area free from open defecation the concerned authorities must ensure that there are adequate numbers of public toilets with running water facility at certain locations. The concerned municipalities must launch a campaign with incentives to those households which still do not have toilets. The floating population should also have an easy access to public toilet if the Valley were to be made an open defecation free zone. A slogan itself is not enough to make a city clean.

Source: The Himalayan Times

Link: https://thehimalayantimes.com/opinion/editorial-long-felt-need/