In a world of 7.3 billion people, 2.4 billion lack access to adequate sanitation, of which 1 billion have no choice but to defecate in the open. Most people without adequate sanitation live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Millions lack menstrual hygiene and vital hand-washing facilit

Question

In a world of 7.3 billion people, 2.4 billion lack access to adequate sanitation, of which 1 billion have no choice but to defecate in the open. Most people without adequate sanitation live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Millions lack menstrual hygiene and vital hand-washing facilities. Diarrhoeal disease, largely caused by poor water, sanitation and hygiene, is a leading cause of malnutrition, stunting and preventable child mortality, claiming nearly 600,000 lives of children under five annually. Inadequate facilities also affect education and economic productivity and impact the dignity and personal safety of women and girls. With so many solutions at hand, the continuing deprivation of so many is a shameful reflection of our society's priorities. In 1840, the "global sanitary revolution" transformed life in Europe and other parts of the developed world. In fact, it actually furthered the economic transformation by making those societies cleaner and healthier. But many countries still await a sanitation revolution. Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, says building toilets is a priority over temples. His finance minister, Arun Jaitley, used a month's budget to set a goal of ending defecation in the open by 2019. That will be 150 years since the birth of Mohandas Gandhi, who said good sanitation was more important than independence. Ending open defecation would bring immense benefits. Some 130 million households lack toilets. More than 72% of rural people relieve themselves behind bushes, in fields or by roadsides. The share is barely shrinking. Of the 1 billion people in the world who have no toilet, India accounts for nearly 600 million. The costs are high. Public safety is one underappreciated problem, as young women have to leave their rural homes after dark. A broader matter is public health. Open defecation is disastrous when practised by groups in close contact with each other. Because India's population is huge, growing rapidly and densely settled, it is impossible even in rural areas to keep human faeces from crops, wells, food and children's hands. They cause enteropathy, a chronic illness that prevents the body from absorbing calories and nutrients. That helps to explain why, in spite of rising incomes and better diets, rates of child malnourishment in India do not improve faster. UNICEF, the UN's agency for children, estimates that nearly one-half of Indian children remain malnourished. Hundreds of thousands of them die from preventable conditions each year, especially in the north, which has the maximum open defecation. Faeces in groundwater spread diseases such as encephalitis, an annual post-monsoon scourge in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Diarrhoea leaves Indians' bodies smaller on average than those of people in poorer countries where people eat fewer calories, notably in Africa. Underweight mothers produce stunted babies prone to sickness who may fail to develop to their full cognitive potential. Fortunately, in developing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals for the 2016-2030 period, UN Member States have recognized that good sanitation and hygiene (goal 6.2) have positive knock-on effects for eight other goals. Specifically, these are goals to end poverty and hunger, create healthy lives, provide quality education, attain gender equality, foster sustainable growth, reduce inequality and develop sustainable cities. Sanitation transforms lives. One billion people still defecate in the open, without access to even basic toilets or hand-washing facilities. Improved sanitation, hygiene and safe water save millions of lives, accelerate economic growth, enhance people's dignity, and create a better future for all. What is the general tone of the author?

Accepted Answer

Critical. The author presents facts about sanitation but mainly criticizes the neglect of this issue and the failure of society to prioritize it. The tone is therefore critical rather than merely descriptive or narrative.

Solution

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