United Nations Millennium Goal Essay -- World Issues, Interventions

Target C of the seventh United Nations Millennium Development Goal is to ‘halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation’ (UN, 2000). With our current model of sanitation, the flush toilet, we are simply unable to provide sanitation to everyone as the flush toilets are grossly inefficient, requiring large amounts of water and sewer infrastructure to function, two things increasing hard to possess in the developing world (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2011). This lack of possession leads to defecation and urination into unsafe sources, such as nearby streams and rivers which also provide drinking water for these people. The unsafe urination and defecation increases the incidence of fecal-oral contamination and occurrences of other communicable diseases. It also forces the poor villagers to walk farther in search of uncontaminated water sources. Interventions and the redevelopment of the sanitation system can bring about many positive changes in developing countries where present knowledge and present development of sanitation is poor. Optimum benefit from water sanitation interventions can be achieved if the communities are made aware of the links between hygiene practices, poor sanitation, polluted water, and disease (UNHRC, 2011). The redevelopment of the sanitation system is essential for the third world countries; however, the global community must overcome challenges before implementation to ensure lasting success. The redevelopment of the sanitation system, particularly the reinvention of the toilet is an efficient and significant way of improving health and hygiene, and women’s education and personal safety. Currently, 40% of the world’s populati... ...blem of implementation by spending more money on education and actual procurement of the reinvented toilets rather than the administration. It is great to take the increased education of the developing country to our advantage by using the school children to spread the message about sanitation to their families and deep into their communities. School Environment and Sanitation and Rural India states that â€Å" The best way to break bad practices is to cultivate good practices and childhood is the best time for that as children are receptive to all influences† (Majra and Gur, 2010). From these two suggestions for implementation, it seems very logical that the global community should focus on providing access to proper sanitation facilities at schools and on providing water, hygiene, and environment education at primary schools to further spread the reinvented toilet.