Bringing home the message of International Sanitation Day

17 April, 2008 - Climbing up and down 40 steps ten times a day is not an easy exercise, but for 28-year-old Dil Maya, it has been a daily routine since she moved into a hut near the IMTRAT hospital in Thimphu.

The hut, she lives in with her family, does not have water supply, her family share a toilet with two others, and her hut is surrounded by garbage.

“We have to walk down every day to fetch water,” said Dil Maya.

She is one among many Thimphu residents living in shanty huts without proper sanitation and drinking water facilities. On April 12, a stone’s throw from her hut, the open air Clock Tower Square is echoing with song and music as Thimphu students performed dances and skits with the theme “Sanitation Matters” to observe the International Sanitation Day.

Although there is a significant increase in water and sanitation coverage, diarrhoea and dysentery still feature among the top five diseases in Bhutan, according to the health ministry.

According to the annual health bulletin, 25,563 cases of diarrhoea, afflicting children under five years of age, were reported in 2007. The year before, in 2006, 16 people died of diarrhoea, two of dysentery and three of typhoid.

“The idea of organizing a programme to mark the day is to create awareness about the importance of water and good sanitation,” said the chief programme officer, Rinzin, of the youth and sports department, who organized the event. “Good sanitation is an important part of a happy life.”

Students performed dances and skits, carrying messages of the importance of water and good sanitation. Competitions were held on the best slogan and posters for which cash prizes were distributed.

Chief guest at the function, Ms Gepke Hingst, the UNICEF Representative in Bhutan, briefed the gathering of students on the importance of sanitation. “Keeping toilets clean and washing hands all the time will keep a person healthy, shiny and away from diseases,” she told the students.

Dil Maya appreciates this only too well, only it’s a daily chore for her to do the same.