Why Is There a World Toilet Day?

Why Is There a World Toilet Day?

There are important holidays we celebrate at the end of the year. Some are for religious purposes, some are to remember our history and give thanks. However, there’s one day that isn’t so much a celebration, but an appreciation for something we use every day.  World Toilet Day,  is observed annually on November 19th.  While most people would agree that the toilet is an important part of our daily lives, the reasons why it exists are important and relevant.

What is World Toilet Day?

World Toilet Day is internationally recognized, but not necessarily celebrated with house decorations or large gatherings. On November 19th, 2001 the foundation known as the World Toilet Organization held an inaugural World Toilet Summit. From that day forward, World Toilet Day was established every year on November 19th.  On July 24th, 2013, it became an official United Nations day.  This was an important congregation of the world’s leaders in the sanitation industry. Many problems involving the climate are affecting everyone worldwide. Some people and countries suffer more from these issues more than others. For example, many people are subject to floods, droughts, and rising sea levels due to climate changes. All of these issues directly influence the efforts of sanitation. One of the largest issues involves floodwater contaminating the drinking water wells because they flood the local toilets, leading to the spread of human waste in communities and crops. The spread of this waste can lead to huge complications, the most serious of them being the generation of dangerous diseases. Around the world, there are thousands of communities that are suffering from the absence of proper sanitation, and this explains the existence of World Toilet Day, an important date to raise awareness.  We’re very fortunate in the US to have the type of sanitation and plumbing services of today. While it may not be perfect, we do have the great ability to have toilets within our home, that flush and send waste ‘away.’ However, even within our borders, there are still communities that are subject to some of these sanitation issues. World Toilet Day exists to help make people aware of the number of people who do not have access to an adequate and efficient sanitation system. It is not only about not having a place to simply go to the bathroom, but it goes way beyond that. World Toilet Day happens because there are lots of people who need to urinate or defecate outdoors and that can generate lots of diseases, such as malaria and diarrhea. These can be huge problems for everyone, but especially newborns and children. The sanitation crisis is a huge problem that affects millions of people. Under-developed sanitation leads to the spread of waste, leading to the spread of some diseases into the water and the food chain. 423,000 annual deaths are credited to the problems because of inadequate sanitation in the whole world.  Currently, in the whole world, there are 4.2 billion people who live without safe and effective sanitation, and the impressive, or staggering numbers do not stop there. There are 673 million people who need to defecate openly and three billion people that do not have basic handwashing facilities. Activities that are seen as simple or even silly are not available for some people and this is an issue that should be addressed by everyone, including the leaders that can make a difference. The World Toilet Day, therefore, is part of a plan to end the global sanitation crisis. One of the major goals of the World Toilet Organization is to achieve “Sustainable Development Goal 6,” universal water and sanitation by 2030.

Why is the Toilet So Important?

One idea that can come to mind when one person reads about World Toilet Day is why the toilet day? Wouldn’t it make more sense to consider November 19th as “World Sanitation Day?” This would make sense, but so does the fact that the toilet is a very important world symbol. This fact can be explained by the Economist Magazine, which touted the toilet as the world’s most useful invention in 2013. They chose the toilet because, according to them, it transformed the lives of billions of people since it was created. In the 19th century, when it appeared, the sanitation system that was facilitated by it undoubtfully saved billions of people’s lives. It helped communities, crops, livestock, and economies. With the invention of the toilet came a decrease in what used to be common infectious diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and many others. In fact, without the current sanitation systems, the spread of disease would be much greater and likely more difficult to control. 

What Does the World Nation Organization Consider as Sanitation?

The World Nation Organization (WNO) has some important data about sanitation service and its importance in people’s lives. For starters, it is estimated that 45% of the world population (about 3.4 billion people) have a safe sanitation system. However, only 31% of the population (2.4 billion people) have sanitation facilities connected to the sewers. 74% of the global population has basic sanitation services. This means that there lots of people who can easily be affected by the spread of infectious diseases. There are some more alarming facts: 2 billion people do not have basic sanitation facilities and 673 million people defecate in the open, such as street gutters or behind bushes. 10% of the global population consumes food that is irrigated by wastewater.  The World Health Organization says that this poor sanitation can cause the transmission of diseases. Some examples are cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, polio, and typhoid. If this wasn’t dangerous enough), there some other impacts of not having proper facilities and systems for when nature calls. For example, people who don’t have a proper system can have anxiety about where to go and when. Because some people have to travel some distance away just to go Number 1 or Number 2. Women who are on their menstrual cycle may have to leave their home and stay at a designated place for the duration of their cycle. These circumstances have commonly led to large issues like sexual assault, and missing educational opportunities.  The WHO also justifies the existence of World Toilet Day with some benefits and advantages that can be achieved because of the improvement of sanitation. The first benefit is the fact that by improving sanitation, we can reduce the spread of intestinal worms and, therefore, tropical diseases. We can reduce the consequences of malnutrition and promote dignity and boost safety among women. It can also have a direct impact on the education systems of other countries. If you can separate sanitary facilities, you will be able to promote school attendance for girls. Sanitation can also be a way to recover water, renewable energy, and nutrients from waste. The WHO studied and posted in 2012 that if you spend $1 on sanitation issues, you will be able to have a return of $5.50 in lower health costs, more productivity, and also fewer premature deaths.

World Toilet Day Is About More Than Sitting Pots

World Toilet Day is more than just a day to celebrate the existence of the toilet. It is considered a date to celebrate the fact that the sanitation service and system exist and it makes so many lives easier and safer. It is also crucial to raise awareness about the alarming facts that were presented above: even now, in the 21st century, the year 2020, there is an absurd amount of people who cannot count on their basic rights. It gets even more important each year that people can count on their representatives to pay attention to this kind of issue and for them to make it possible to improve this situation as much as possible. Basic sanitation is not a matter of luxury, it is a basic right that can be considered the ending to many diseases and deaths all over the world annually. By improving the world’s sanitation, we can avoid deaths, improve education, and improve structures for reusing water, creating renewable resources, and nutrients from waste that would not be able to be used if there was not an efficient system. Therefore, it is crucial we as a planet invest in sanitation and recognize it as an important issue that should be taken seriously. It is also important to consider that World Toilet Day is a part of the acknowledgment of this problem and a chance for us to rethink the way that some people are living (and, unfortunately, dying) because of the lack of basic conditions.

How The Restroom Kit is Helping to Reduce the Spread of Disease

Having a toilet and proper sanitation system is important and crucial for your health. Most of us probably never thought about how essential this item is given the fact that it’s apart of our daily, natural life.  However, even with our evolved systems, there are still ways we can spread and contract diseases. In order to guarantee your health and safety when using public restrooms, get to know and experiment with The Restroom Kit. It is an essential sanitary items kit that can help you to protect yourself whenever you need it. Each Restroom Kit comes with a large toilet seat cover, a full yard of toilet paper,  a tush wipe for extra bottom cleaning, and an antibacterial hand wipe for preventing the spread of germs. The Restroom Kit understands the importance of promoting safe, clean, and comfortable toilet experiences. That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to educating the masses about the importance of proper restroom etiquette, and having essentials like the items in The Restroom Kit.  Order The Restroom Kit, get more information about our kit options, and learn more about our impact by visiting our website at https://testing0011.wpengine.com. 
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