Is Sanitation a Crucial Factor for Health, Equality, and Development in India? 

Sanitation does have a big impact on development and health, but it also plays a big part in advancing equality. The supply of sanitation infrastructure has significant implications for social equity, even though it might not be immediately apparent. Sanitation can help level the playing field in India, where there are significant differences between different socioeconomic categories and between urban and rural areas. Social justice is promoted by proper sanitation since it guarantees that everyone, from all backgrounds, has access to fundamental essentials.

Nonetheless, the difficulties are apparent, as demonstrated by India’s ranking as the third most polluted nation in the world in 2023. The Swachh Bharat Mission has made great strides towards providing adequate sanitation and drinking water to households in both urban and rural areas, but the conditions on the streets frequently belie this. Urban regions, particularly those with high population densities, nevertheless struggle with problems including pollution, open defecation, and poor waste management. Since the poorest populations are frequently the ones most impacted by pollution and poor sanitation, these issues not only jeopardize development and health but also maintain inequality. It is imperative to tackle these concerns related to street-level sanitation in order to enhance public health and encourage sustainable development.

In order to genuinely promote health, equality, and development, complete waste management and street cleaning must be included in addition to domestic sanitation. Not really implying that we don’t practice it but because not everyone is taking part in their own task, Increased public awareness, systemic improvements, and persistent government intervention are needed for this. Ensuring that all residents, irrespective of their financial condition, reside in a healthy environment is contingent upon the cleanliness of public areas. Addressing these problems is going to be crucial to creating a more fair society in India, where everyone can get on in life. A more resilient and inclusive country will result from ensuring that sanitation improvements support health and development objectives. I am going to end this by quoting the father of the nation Mahatma Ghandhi, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”.