World Toilet Day being observed today

Today is World Toilet Day. This day is being observed to create awareness about sanitation and encourage people to use toilets.

 

Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation of Ministry of Jal Shakti will celebrate 'World Toilet Day' under 'Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen for promoting awareness on access to safe sanitation. On this occasion, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will felicitate top districts and States with ‘Swachhata Puraskar’.

 

The theme of this year's World Toilet Day is sustainable sanitation and climate change. Severe effects of climate change like floods, drought and rising sea levels are threatening sanitation



systems and increasing health risks.

 

Safe and hygienic toilets form the strongest defence mechanism against COVID19 and other diseases. In the last few years, India has taken remarkable steps to inculcate the practice of safe and hygienic sanitation behaviour under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

 

This drive not only changed the age-old habits of millions of people, but also increased their productivity while protecting them from diseases. It also paved the way for construction of over 11 crore household toilets and conversion of more than six lakh villages into open defecation free.