A clean world is a healthier, happier world, and it is heartening that efforts are being made in India and globally to ensure safe sanitation for all.
Lack of proper sanitation services pollutes freshwater resources and exposes the poor to the risk of diseases. Safe sanitation protects invisible groundwater, the most abundant source of water that we have for drinking, agriculture, industry and preserving ecosystems. Toilets that are properly connected to safe sanitation systems collect, treat and dispose of human waste responsibly and help prevent its spread into groundwater.
On World Toilet Day 2022, we renew our commitment to the national 'Swachh Bharat Mission', that uses a holistic approach to sanitation, including construction of toilets, minimising waste and bringing about behavioural change. ITC has cumulatively built 122 Community Toilets and over 39,400 Individual Household Toilets, benefiting over 108,000 people in 15 states. A sense of ownership has been fostered among communities with high impact awareness campaigns, steadily ushering in good sanitation habits - hand washing with soap and clean water, and regular toilet use & maintenance. In schools, soap banks have been created, and teachers & Child Cabinet Members sensitised to significance of sanitation and hygiene.
As part of its partnership with NITI Aayog, ITC is also piloting an intervention of using Toilet Slurry as agri-manure. ITC, through the ISC-India Sanitation Coalition at FICCI, is collaborating with the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation to support the lighthouse initiative by creating 35 model ODF Plus Villages across 10 states with an aim to inspire and encourage other Gram Panchayats to adopt the model.
