Why Toilets Aren't the Answer: The Complex State of Sanitation in India

I interned with the Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy in New Delhi, India, a research organization that supports the work of legislators and policymakers in India. In my 4 weeks at the organization, I mainly focused... [ view full abstract ]

I interned with the Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy in New Delhi, India, a research organization that supports the work of legislators and policymakers in India. In my 4 weeks at the organization, I mainly focused on research around the status of a group of public health issues (“WASH” – water, sanitation and hygiene) in India. My research was aimed at creating a comprehensive handbook that would explore the success and failure of previous government policies on these issues, their current status in India and the new campaign launched by Narendra Modi’s government in 2014. Through my research, I found several interesting, unique characteristics of the status of WASH and effectiveness of WASH policies in India. Regarding the effectiveness of the policies, I found that the greatest challenge in India was the cultural stigmas associated with creating effective behavioral changes relating to hygiene and sanitation. I believe that in order for government policies to be successful, changing the culture needs to be the key focus of any campaign. While infrastructure, money and technology can pour into a developing country like India, the larger shift in hygiene and sanitation will only take place if the culture and society embraces change.