Open Defecation and Flying Toilets

Open defecation is the action of excreting in open spaces, such as behind bushes or in open bodies of water. As mentioned previously, the choice to open defecate is as a result of having no safe or accessible alternative. It can also bring about safety issues for women if they have to travel long distances in order to do so, as they put themselves at greater risk of physical and sexual assault.

On average, 1g of human faeces alone contains 10,000,000 viruses, 1,000,000 bacteria and 1,000 parasite cysts (Unicef, 2018). When defecating in open spaces, the faecal matter has the ability to be transported into food and water for bathing, drinking and cooking, and children playing outside may come into contact with this matter. From those statistics, even a small amount of contact with faecal material puts people at risk of contracting diarrhoeal disease and other waterborne illnesses associated with faeces, such as worms and E.coli.

Consequence of open defecation and flying toilets (Image Source)

As open defecation is being reduced, another issue is on the rise. The increase in flying toilets refers to the the greater number of people defecating in bags and disposing of them at random - often throwing them out of windows, hence the name flying toilet. This is a large problem as the bags are highly likely to leak after landing, exposing the harmful bacteria within. Additionally, if in non-biodegradable bags, the faecal matter will be left to fester and may attract disease carrying insects and animals.

In some cases, there are toilet facilities available as an alternative to open defecation and flying toilets, however, these options are often in conditions no less desirable. As described by Kamal Kar, innovator of community led sanitation schemes, sometimes pit latrines may be in such bad condition with such poor maintenance that the smell alone is enough to make you want to turn to open defecation and other unsanitary methods of excretion (Kar, 2011).

In hindsight,  is very understandable why so many turn to such methods of using the toilet, whether it be due to hygiene or lack of accessible facilities. Despite this, they are still behaviours which need to be eradicated through supply of sufficient toilet facilities, which are maintained to a high enough standard for people to be comfortable to use.