BELIEVE it or not, according to Statistics South Africa, more South African households have cell phones than toilets.
Yesterday, Monday, 19 November marked the commemoration of World Toilet Day and the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), stated that around 4,5 billion people around the globe have no toilet at home.
“Access to proper sanitation is important and must ensure that human rights and human dignity are preserved. The provision of toilets must also provide for the requirements of women and girls using public and community toilets. Shared toilets allow households who do not have toilets in their individual homes access to toilets. However, they do present a myriad of problems which point to health and safety issues in communities,” said Stats SA.
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Over the years, the country’s percentage of households that have access to improved sanitation increased from 61,7 per cent in 2002 to 82,2 per cent in 2017. However despite the improved access to sanitation facilities, many households continue to be without any proper sanitation facilities.
According to the General Household Survey (GHS) 2017, about one-fifth (23,7 per cent) of households were concerned about poor lighting while 21,6 per cent complained about inadequate hygiene.
Yesterday’s commemoration of World Toilet Day was focused on improving access to toilets and ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for everyone by 2030.
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