Today is World Toilet Day – Let’s give a sh..

A few weeks ago we had a look at all those awareness days out there with a nod to ‘Toilet Repair Week’ in the US. There are a huge number of these awareness events in the calendar – some more worthy than others; days like World Toilet Day, which aims to highlight the plight of 2.5 billion people without access to a clean, private toilet.

“I give a shit, do you?” is the plea of the 2012 global World Toilet Day campaign put together by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the World Toilet Organization (WTO). Observed annually on 19 November, World Toilet Day aims to break the taboo around the toilets and draw attention to the existing global sanitation challenge.  Sanitation is a fundamental human right. World Toilet Day was created to raise global awareness of the daily struggle for proper dignified sanitation that a staggering 2.5 billion people continue to face.

“Can you imagine not having a toilet?,” asks Saskia Castelein, advocacy and communication officer at WSSCC. “Can you imagine not having privacy when you need to relieve yourself? Although unthinkable for those living in wealthy parts of the world, this is a harsh reality for many – in fact, one in three people on this globe does not have access to a toilet! The World Toilet Day Campaign aims to raise awareness, inspire action, and make sanitation and hygiene for all a reality in the 21st century.”

The benefits of proper sanitation, good hygiene and clean drinking water on health and well being, educational attainment and economic growth are increasingly gaining recognition by the international development community. World Toilet Day is an online advocate for better sanitation and we would like to do our bit by blogging about it.

It’s something we take for granted here in the UK and we only realise how fortunate we are when there is a problem. If you experience any difficulties with you plumbing, toilets or drains don’t forget that Drain Doctor is only a phone call away on  0800 3357 999

Related articles

• Time to Talk Toilets: World Toilet Day (forbes.com)
• Thinking Outside the Stall on World Toilet Day (ipsnews.net)

Toilet Twinning survey highlights top three toilet activities

Following yesterday’s post about sewer flooding we have come across another piece of World Toilet Day related research.

According to a survey carried out by TNS Omnibus on behalf of charity partnership Toilet Twinning, the smallest room in the house is a hive of activity. In addition to the obvious people tend to do three different activities whilst on the loo. 

A quarter of us (8.9 million) take our phones in with us – to chat, text, email or update Facebook and Twitter. People in England are twice as likely as the Scots or Welsh to update their Facebook status or to post a toilet tweet. 

Toilet going is seemingly a social experience as 5.5 million people (14 per cent) confess to chatting on the loo. Women are more likely to chat in person, while men tend to chat on the phone. 

It seems we’re partial to toilet playtime too, as one in ten (3.6 million) reach for a personal games console, crossword or Sudoku. 

But reading is the nation’s top toilet habit – with 12 million people (32 per cent) reaching for a newspaper, book or magazine. 

Toilet Twinning’s survey was commissioned with a serious message in mind. One in three people worldwide lack a clean and safe toilet to use. 

Toilet Twinning is a partnership between development charities Tearfund and Cord to improve access to decent sanitation, clean water and prevent the spread of disease in some of the world’s poorest communities.