Importance of Sanitation: Impact on India’s Economy and Children’s Health

Introduction

Sanitation is described as the source of fresh drinking water and proper sewage disposal along with people’s methods to take care of their prime needs (Agoramoorthy 2009). In India, lack of sanitation is an issue that has been overlooked for years, especially among children. About 2 million people die every year because of improper sanitation (Waheed 2018). Since not all of India has access to toilets, they are forced to defecate in the open, leading to a higher possibility of diseases and the inability to practice proper hygiene (Khuroo 2015).

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The Economic Toll of Inadequate Sanitation

This is a major problem because it leaves children prone to more diseases that may be fatal. According to an article on the world economic forum (WEF), a nonprofit organization, they state that “India is the world’s seventh-largest economy…growing faster than any other large economy”. India’s economy is getting bigger, yet they have not solved the sanitation problem, which is affecting the people living in India, including the most vulnerable group, the children. Lack of sanitation has economically impacted the Indian economy, the employment of the people, and organizations, which would eventually affect children living in India. Indian Economy Although India has a fast-growing economy, it has not prioritized any of its funding to improve the lack of sanitation. Lack of sanitation still remains high in India. For the past 20 years, India has encountered an economic progression of over 5% in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the main indicator used to test the health of a country’s economy (Khan 2018).

Health and Economic Impacts

Sanitation in India has even cost the economy large amounts of money. According to Mehnaaz Sultan Khuroo, an MD Pathology assistant professor, she states that “the total economic impacts of inadequate sanitation in India amounts to Rs. 2.44 trillion (US $53.8 billion) a year which is equivalent of 6.4% of India’s GDP in 2006, which is a per person annual impact of Rs. 2,180 (US $48).” Lack of sanitation has had a negative impact on India, causing it to decrease the economy. Health impacts due to inadequate sanitation are also another cause of a decrease in the economy of India. According to M. Govinda Rao, a member of the Fourteenth Finance Commission and an Emeritus Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, he states that “More than three-fourths of the premature mortality-related economic losses are due to deaths and diseases in children younger than five.

Diarrhea among these children accounts for over 47 percent (US$18 billion, Rs.824 billion) of the total health-related economic impacts.” Since India’s economy is not doing anything to improve sanitation, they are losing a tremendous amount of money due to health-related diseases from children caused by insufficient sanitation. Employment of the People In the rural parts of India, the economic condition of the people does not allow for them to be financially stable and provide for their children. India has had one of the fastest rates of economic growth, yet it has not created that many job opportunities (Alper 2018). This leads the people to not have access to proper sanitation since they do not have the money to be able to provide hygienic products. For most people living in rural India, they find employment in unofficial waste-related activities and in dangerous circumstances (Gidwani 2015). This leads them vulnerable to catching diseases that spread to their children since they cannot sanitize properly.

Empowering the Future: Ensuring Proper Sanitation

The monthly income of people living in slums, which are hazardous and polluted lands, was below average. According to NedaWaheed, an environmental assistant, she states that “… Only 20% of people got more than Rs. 8,000 (US $111.55) per month, 25% earned less than Rs. 4,000 (US $55.78) per month, and 55% got Rs. 4,000-8,000 (US $55.78-$111.55) per month. Results showed that out of the total workers in the slums, 15% were involved in rag picking, begging, and rickshaw pulling, 50% were domestic workers, and unskilled laborers, while 35% were skilled laborers, petty shopkeepers, and miscellaneous workers.” This means that most workers get little monthly income which is too low to provide good facilities and healthy life for their children. In the slum parts of India, it is difficult for adolescents to find a job or have access to education. Over 30% of India’s youth are not employed in education or training (WEF 2017). This shows that most of the children living in India are not going to be able to care for their sanitation issues since most of the children are not educated and do not know the importance of proper hygiene.

Organizations and Organizations intended to help improve sanitation are not doing much in India since the majority of the children still do not know the importance of proper sanitation. Since some of the children don’t even have access to proper sanitation, they do not know what they are missing out. The Village Health and Sanitation Committee (VHSC) is responsible for the villages in Rural India to form health and sanitation policies based on local urgency; they were given Rs 10,000 (US $161) per village annually (Srivastava 2016). This committee got funds to help improve sanitation but did not put the committee to good use. The VHSC struggled to hold regular meetings, the majority of the staff did not attend, and they did not plan their activities effectively (Srivastava 2016). Unfortunately, this is the case for many of the committees which are not doing anything to improve hygienic habits. However, some committees are doing the most to educate and provide access to kids in unfortunate villages about the importance of proper sanitation. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) brought outstanding changes to India’s health organizations, rearranged the accessibility and value of health facilities, and mainly focused on children living in rural India (Rao 2015). This committee is great and efficient because it uses the funds that the government provides them and uses it gives children the sanitation they need to survive.

Conclusion

All organizations dedicated to improving the lack of sanitation in rural India have to plan effectively and distribute their funds to ensure the well beings of children. Resolution Overall, the lack of sanitation has negatively affected India’s economy as well as the people living in the rural parts of India. People living in the poor parts of India have no choice but to settle for jobs in hazardous areas that provides them with little income, not sufficient enough to provide their children with access to sanitation (Ban 2010). In order for sanitation to get the attention it needs, organizations that focus on improving sanitation have to fulfill their roles and educate people living in rural India. If they educate the people, they will become more aware of how important it is to sanitate properly and will pass on the knowledge. This will prevent diseases that will ultimately improve India’s economy while improving the children’s health.

References

1. Khuroo, M. S. (2015). Sanitation and Hygiene in India: Challenges and Opportunities. Frontiers in Public Health, 3, 67.

2. Khan, M. M. (2018). Socioeconomic Determinants of Sanitation in India. Environmental Health Insights, 12, 1178630217751423.

3. Govinda Rao, M. (2015). Economic Impacts of Inadequate Sanitation in India: The Case of Premature Mortality. Public Finance Review, 43(3), 406-431.

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