It is well known that access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities play a key role in maintaining public health. In this interview Pragya Akhilesh tells us how the absence of proper toilets has exacerbated India’s health crisis amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Q) Is it true that toilets have become hotbeds for disease spread in the pandemic?

A) The lockdown has had its own problems with decreasing toilet usage. In 2020, there has been a massive decline in actual toilet usage in rural India. This is mainly because toilets are in poor shape, roofs are falling, doors are breaking or soggy and there is an acute shortage of water supply. The outcome of this is that toilets have become hotbeds for disease spread. The sanitation workers are cleaning these toilets without the accessibility of any kind of protection gear. The government’s silence on toilet maintenance is shocking as the ‘value of service’ is declining and because of that all the pressure falls on the sanitation workers. All through the lockdown the sanitation workers have continued this work but they have not been given their due like health care professionals in India.

Q) You have been recording 10 lakh toilets in India and have found 46,000 new dry latrines in active use just in the lockdown. Can you tell us about it?

A) Despite the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act, 2013, the implementation in the informal settlements in the rural areas of India is completely fractured therefore ‘dry latrines’ are one of the biggest crises in 2021 India. These toilets damage the health of the sanitation workers and the communities severely. In the India-Bangladesh border areas, we found a series of many ‘hanging toilets.’ The unmanaged effluents mix with nearby water bodies even polluting the drinking water! Because these areas are remote, there is no accessible sanitation coverage. Lockdown has also resulted in communities building ‘dry latrines’ by digging small pits in nearby compounds, because women do not feel comfortable sending their children to far-away toilets.

Q) The government and institutions are spending so much on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Then why is there still the prevalence of these types of toilets?

A) In India we are only focusing on building toilets. There is less focus on eradication of the previously constructed dry latrines. There is a vast difference between the database of the urban and rural sanitation coverage in India. The hanging toilets and the dry latrines found in the semi-urban and rural areas have continued to exist also because we have not been able to reach them. The sanitary toilets built under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) have their own unique problems. In this way both, insanitary and newly constructed sanitary toilets, have become burdens for India’s sanitation workers. There is no focus on the fact that 80 per cent of the sanitation workers are not even reaching the age of retirement. Even within sanitary toilets they are forced to manually scavenge excreta because of non-availability of continued water supply.

Q) Why is there a non-availability of continued water supply in spite of increasing water coverage in the last decade?

A) In rural areas, even in the households which have improved water coverage like the availability of piped water supply, long power cuts hinder toilet usage. If there are 6 to 8-hour power cuts then how will the tanks get filled enough for every flush. People therefore leave the toilets without flushing them. Even the pour flush technique can only be accessed if there is an availability of unimproved water supply nearby. This again puts focus on the proximity of the water supply for single toilet usage from mobile containers. So, if the built-in water supply cannot be used then the procedure becomes very complex even after the efforts to integrate water services with sanitation services in every toilet.

Q) Can dirty toilets be also the reason why people prefer to defecate in the open?

A) Many women still chose to defecate in the open even in big cities like Delhi and Mumbai. For example, people defecate on banks of Yamuna early in the morning in Delhi. This is also because the amount of water in the containment is not directly proportional to the number actually using it. So, if you are going to use the toilet after 9 A.M there is no water left anymore. So, community toilet building is completely different to household toilet building. The water usage and tank capacity have to be kept in mind, otherwise people will continue to defecate in the open. Another important aspect is toilets without continued water supply become hotbeds for disease spread. The government has no understanding of the current state of the toilets they have probably built 5 years ago. While sanitation workers continue to get sick, forced to clean these toilets, hundreds of these toilets are in poor shape and almost abandoned.

*The interview was conducted by the Co-ordinator, Sulabh Sewa Campaign, Mumbai.

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While some are using the Coronavirus outbreak to set an example of communal harmony by calling off protests, shutting down places of worship and the minorities working together with the majority population to ensure public safety and health, there are some like Prashant Tripathi, who are busy pushing the racist and caste-supremacist Hindutva agenda to their followers on social media.

Said to be an endodontist, Tripathi is also a motivational speaker and actor who appears on crime-based shows on primetime TV. He plays a cop on a show called Savdhaan India and on March 18, 2020, while India was in the trenches, battling the coronavirus, he was posting a video on how the principles of Hindutva, especially the practice of joining hands in ‘namaste’ is saving the world from the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the Covid-19 was found to spread through body contact – the shaking of hands, touching face, nose and mouth; world over people started greeting each other either by joining their hands or using other funnier methods like touching elbow to elbow or foot to foot, to avoid spreading the virus.

However, since that has happened, right-wing Hindutva believers have gone all out to say that it was only now that the world was accepting India’s Hindutva practices while prior to this, they scoffed at all such gestures. Dressed as a cop, addressing someone as “they” in his video he said, “When we used to do Namaste, they used to laugh; when we used to do yoga, they used to laugh; when we used to worship animals as Gods, they used to laugh; when we used to take care of our parents, they used to laugh; when we used to enter home and wash our hands and feet before eating, they used to laugh; when we used to consume a vegetarian diet, they used to laugh; when we used to burn the dead from our communities, they used to laugh; but it is shocking now that no one is laughing at us. All the 260 countries are all quiet now and are doing ‘namaste’ now. This ‘namaste’ shows the strength of the nation. We are Hindutva, trust Hindutva. Hindutva is a lifestyle based on science. We are Hindutva and on that basis we will on its basis.”

He ended his monologue with a couplet where he said, “Corona corona toh chala jaayega, chinta mat kijiye, vishwas rakhiye, is desh ka khoya hua Gaurav vaapas aayega (Corona will go away, don’t worry, keep faith, this country’s lost honour will be restored).”

His video titled – “Hindutva is a way of life, not a religion, today the world is following us”, garnered 1 million views in a day. However, Tripathi seems to be a little misinformed. In his video he said that there are 260 countries, when in fact there are only 195 countries in the world. Also, by talking about vegetarianism or cremating corpses by burning them as the only good practices, he is indirectly claiming that it is only the Hindus in India who follow such rituals which are meant to be good for society.

By claiming that it is only the Hindutva followers who take care of their parents or who practice hygiene, he is denigrating the values and upbringing of people from other communities, basically the minorities.

Tripathi and his followers must understand that Hindutva isn’t a lifestyle, but an extreme form of Hindu nationalism peddled to claim cultural hegemony of Hindus over other religions in India and make India a Hindu Rashtra.

Article 51A of the Constitution of India states that everyone in the country must develop a scientific temper. It is with science that the coronavirus pandemic is being handled. Practices in the Hindu religion may be effective, but to claim monopoly of goodness and efficiency, like Tripathi does in his video, is juvenile and a mockery of the shocking amounts of lives lost and people from different castes, creeds and religions affected by the pandemic all over the world.

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Kerala and West Bengal have raised serious issues of how the MHA is limiting disbursement under the current crisis cause by the COVID 19 outbreak.

India, like many other countries across the world, is facing an unprecedented health crisis. In a situation like this it is expected that all the States along with the Centre make concerted efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Central government, recently, declared COVID-19 to be a “notified disaster” under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. This means that states can make use of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) in taking measures to combat the disease. The SDRF is constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and is the primary fund available with state governments for responses to notified disasters. The Central government contributes 75 per cent towards the SDRF allocation for general category states and UTs, and over 90 per cent for special category states/UTs, which includes north-eastern states, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Hence, it is clear that states are receiving financial aid from the Central government to help them mitigate this crisis. There are however, specific guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the specific use of this fund and the states can only use the fund for those specific purposes.

The letter from MHA can be read here.

This letter is however, a partially modified version of an earlier letter which had included beneficial provisions. This would have let states pay compensation to the families of the victims of the disease. Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, was disappointed with the deletion of the clause. “By deleting these clauses, the spirit behind relief/ assistance intended by the State Disaster Response Fund is defeated,” Vijayan said in a letter sent to the Central government. The letter further said, “The deleted two clauses being those that directly benefited and provided relief to the Covid-19 affected families need to be restored. I request you to reconsider the partial modification and restore the earlier one in its entirety”. Meanwhile, Kerala is set to use up 355 of the SDRF available to it to help in combating COVID-19.

Mamata Banerjee, the CM of West Bengal has voiced her grievance that her state has not received necessary assistance from the Centre and it was dependent on its own resources to tackle the crisis. “We are not getting enough help from the Centre. We are procuring necessary things by roping in self-help groups,” Banerjee said. There was no mention of utilising funds from the SDRF.

Including Kerala, other states like Telangana, Odisha and Himachal Pradesh are set to use the SDRF for dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic.

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The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is currently mulling over a crucial decision on suspending Mumbai’s lifeline, its local train services, post the first death due to Corona Virus reported in the city, reported Business Insider.

At present, Maharashtra has 38 positive Covid-19 patients and the desperate measures of ensuring the safety of the public come after the passing away of a 64-year-old man with a travel history to Dubai passed away at Mumbai’s quarantine center, Kasturba Hospital, today.

As one of the ‘social distancing’ measures heavily recommended by the government to prevent and contain the spread of Covid-19, the matter regarding the complete suspension of local train services is currently under discussion at the state cabinet meeting in a bid to help stop the spread from going to Phase III from Phase II by any means necessary.

The local train services in India are sprawled across the Central, Harbour and Western Lines ferrying over 8.50 million commuters to their destinations serving the Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts.

However, it isn’t just the local trains the government is considering suspending, but also the Mumbai Metro and Mono Rail for a few days till the transmission of the virus is contained. The move could potentially paralyze Mumbai, the country’s financial capital.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope who apprised the public of the decision said, “There are options — like fumigating all train coaches, limiting the number of commuters to the seats available in each bogey to avoid crowding also being considered other than completely stopping the local train services.”

The Maharashtra government has set aside a Rs. 45 crore fund for tackling the corona virus pandemic. This fund is to be distributed among the Divisional Commissioners at Konkan and Pune and Rs. 5 crore each from the fund is set to be disbursed to Nagpur, Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik. Apart from ensuring the supply of hygienic and nutritious food, it is to be used to maintain the facilities at the quarantine centers like television sets, indoor games and for the purchase of emergency medical equipment like ventilators.

The Maharashtra state government has postponed all upcoming local bodies and civic elections by three months and ordered the shutdown of academic and educational institutions, both in urban and rural areas.

The Public Health Minister who also conducted a private meeting with 20 companies from the medicine, banking, executive and corporate sectors said that these companies through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund will help provide masks, sanitizers, ventilators and isolation wards for those in need.

The Coronavirus has spread to 131 people in India and three people have lost their lives due it. World over, more than 7,000 people have died due to Covid-19. With quarantine and social distancing being seen as the only measures to contain the transmission of the virus before the vaccines come into play, it is to be seen if a bustling city like Mumbai is braced for a potential lockdown.

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Border haats with Bangladesh closed; Myanmar border shut amid Coronavirus spread

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The Tripura government has issued a notice saying it has decided to shut down all border haats with Bangladesh as part of the precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus, reported The Telegraph India. Tripura has two border haats with Bangladesh at Kamalasagar in Sephaijala district and Srinagar in South Tripura, while three more haats are said to yet be put up.

The memo issued by the health and family welfare department especially mentioned that to contain the chain of infection from Bangladesh immigrants, the land customs and BSF authorities must issue a directive to all their staff to unfailingly follow hygiene protocols.

“For the time being, immigrants with a suspected case history and suffering from any respiratory symptoms should be assessed properly before their entry into our state. Moreover, all border haats may be closed for the time being in consultation with Bangladesh authorities,” the memo read.

It also advised against being a part of mass gatherings in any form till the containment of the outbreak. “All citizens are requested to restrict mass gatherings to avoid severe acute respiratory illness (SAR) case and influenza-like illness, including Covid-19. In case a gathering cannot be avoided, the organiser should ensure precautionary material, according to the directives sent out to all concerned. This restriction may continue until further orders,” the memo said.

The department has also directed all district magistrates and collectors to ensure regular sanitization and take out awareness generation drives at all bus / truck terminuses, movies halls and shopping malls.

“Setting up help desks at Dharmanagar railway station of North district/inter-state bus terminus may be ensured for awareness generation and self-reporting by travellers. Besides, periodical review of the situation may also be made through district surveillance unit meetings,” the memorandum said.

The memorandum added that the district health officials ensure that quarantine places are kept secure and more such places are identified to accommodate the ill. Tripura health and family welfare director Radha Debbarma said a Bangladeshi national was sent back from Agartala-Akhaura international checkpost (CIP) after a medical helpdesk screened him with high body temperature during the thermal scanner check-up for coronavirus.

“Not a single person has been infected with the virus in Tripura. We have recently identified 28 people who have a recent visit history to coronavirus-affected countries. Nineteen of them have been cleared. Others haven’t shown any symptoms but are still under self-observation,” the health and family welfare director said.

This clarification from the minister came after rumours of an Indian citizen being denied entry into Bangladesh after thermal scanners picked up high temperatures on him.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the novel coronavirus or Covid 19 to be a pandemic. Places of religious gatherings such as temples, mosques and churches that can be clusters for the transmission of the virus, especially in a populated country like India should be on high alert.

ISKCON, one of the popular Hindu religious organizations has reportedly advised devotees from abroad to postpone their travel for the next two months.

The Srinagar Municipal Corporation has also passed a resolution to restrict public gatherings in Srinagar and close schools and coaching centres in view of the coronavirus transmission threat.

Theatres in Kerala are under lockdown until March 31. Chief Minister Pinarayi VIjayan has announced that public gatherings must be avoided at all costs. Educational institutes have been shut for the rest of the month and all public functions are said to be cancelled. Kerala has seen the highest confirmed cases of Covid-19 in India.

Among the major events called off are the IIFA awards and FDCI’s India Fashion week. Apart from this, the Gurugram Marathon, HasyaKavi Sammelan, Ultra Music Festival and Delhi Literature Festival among other events, have either been cancelled or postponed in the capital. Tech summits by Amazon and other tech giants too stand cancelled post the virus scare.

Union Health Minister has urged local leaders to discourage large gatherings in public spaces. He told the Rajya Sabha that screening was currently underway in 30 airports across India and 15 labs have been set up to test for the virus. The centre said that no community transmission of the virus has been observed and there have only been cases of local transmission up until now.

Most countries, including India have imposed visa curbs to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and has also closed the border with Myanmar after South Asia reported a rise in cases. The current number of cases in India is pegged at 73.

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