Sanitation at Public Places: Have you ever heard of the disease cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio and worsen stunting? Yes, these diseases are the result of poor sanitation in public places. Several basic rules apply to sanitary facilities in public places: There must be enough toilets for the maximum number of people using the area during the day. There should be a sink with clean soap and water near the bathrooms. In this article, we will learn more about sanitation in public places.

Define Sanitation

Sanitation refers to public health conditions associated with drinking water and “treatment and disposal of human faeces and sewage. Preventing human contact with faeces is part of sanitation, as is washing hands with soap. Sanitation systems aim to protect human health by providing a clean environment that prevents the transmission of diseases, especially through the faecal-oral route. When we go to a train station, a bus station, an airport, a hospital, a movie theatre, a market square, or a park, we find that all these places are full of people. 

In fact, thousands of people visit these public places every day. So, in all these places, there is a lot of garbage every day. Also, in our country, fairs and exhibitions are regularly organized in many areas. Many people also visit these fairs and exhibitions and generate a lot of garbage there. Poor hygiene in crowded public spaces can spread disease. Therefore, all waste generated in public places must be disposed of properly. If not, all waste generated in public places is disposed of regularly and properly; epidemics can even break out.

Sanitation in Public Places

Public places where a large number of people gather, such as bus terminals, railway stations, and fairgrounds, should have adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities. In most public places, the government has provided adequate facilities and trash cans. The following considerations should be kept in mind when providing sanitation facilities to the general public in areas with large crowds.

1. There should be an adequate number of toilers equipped with handwashing facilities and soap. Cleanliness and hygiene should be maintained in these facilities.
2. There should be an adequate number of trash cans. Refuse must be disposed of properly and on a regular basis. It should not be allowed to accumulate because it may attract flies and vermin.
3. Posters, hoardings, and other forms of advertising in public places should promote health and hygiene in an appealing and simple manner. People should be made aware of basic hygiene habits such as hand washing, using dustbins and toilets, etc.

Every home generates waste or garbage, which should not be dumped on the street. Some people would throw their empty snack packets, metal cans, and bottles on the roads, even in public places. It should be disposed of in dustbins; otherwise, it may enter the underground drainage system. This could cause sewage pipes to become clogged. Sewage could seep into homes and streets. It will cause waterlogging on the streets and traffic jams during the monsoon season.

Sanitation in Rural Areas

The majority of people in underdeveloped and developing countries do not have toilets, bathrooms, or a proper drainage system in their homes or public places. In our country, approximately \(70\% \) of people live in poverty. In their homes, there are no toilets. Men and women relieve themselves in public places. They urinate in fallow land, river beds, railway tracks, and fields. When these excreta in the open fields mix with rainwater, they pollute the soil and reach groundwater, polluting both groundwater and surface water. After drinking this polluted water, people suffer from various water-borne diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, cholera, polio, meningitis, hepatitis, etc.

Can we Contribute to Sanitation at Public Places? / How to Maintain Sanitation in Public places?

The Municipality of the area is responsible for maintaining sanitary conditions at public places, but we can also contribute to these efforts. We can contribute to sanitation in public places by following these simple practices: 

1. Do not throw rubbish such as paper, food waste, bags, empty plastic water bottles, etc., in public places. 
2. Rubbish must be disposed of in the appropriate waste bins. However, if the rubbish bin is not available in a public place, we must take the rubbish home and throw it in the bin. 
3. We should not spit in public places. 
4. After you eat a banana, you cannot throw the banana peel off the roadside or any other public place.
5. We should never urinate roadside.

Why is it Important to Maintain Proper Sanitation in Public Places?

It is important to maintain hygiene in public places because dirt can cause contamination. If wastewater is left outdoors, it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and insects. Lack of hygiene is the main cause of diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

Be an Active Citizen

The generation of waste is an essential part of human activities. But we can limit the type of waste and quality of waste produced. We can also help in the proper disposal of wastes. One of the biggest eyesores around us is the open, dirty water drains. The sight of open drains is disgusting. We often feel suffocated by the foul smell emitted by the stinking dirty water drains when we happen to pass near them. The situation worsens in the rainy season when the dirty water drain starts overflowing (because of rainwater entering into it), and we have to wade through mud and dirty drain water which collects on the roads. The open-drain system creates the most unhygienic and unsanitary conditions in its neighbourhood. Open dirty water drains are breeding places for flies, mosquitoes and other disease-causing organisms.

Our Responsibilities

Every citizen has a responsibility to protect and improve the environment. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect water resources and practise good sanitation. Numerous agents assist us in waste management. They are as follows:

1. The Government: They make laws, create infrastructure, organize funds, initiate projects to clean rivers such as the Ganga Action Plan and the Yamuna Action Plan. The Municipal corporation carries out these activities. In rural areas, the Gram Panchayat is an institution responsible for keeping them clean.

2. (RWA) Role of Community: Community bodies like Resident Welfare Associations must cooperate with the Municipality for keeping their area clean. For example, ensure no littering is done on lanes, gardens and waste is disposed of in a proper way after marriage or other functions in the area. Construction material also should not be left lying on the streets or pavements.

3. Role of Individuals: Each person can play an important role in reducing and managing wastes like not littering and by throwing garbage in bins. Excreta should be disposed of properly. Educate others to create less waste and dispose of it safely, etc.

4. Role of NGOs: In recent years, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) are being involved in managing waste.
   
5. Eco Clubs: Eco clubs are being set up in schools to inculcate the idea of responsibility towards the environment.

Summary

Sanitation refers to public health conditions associated with drinking water and “treatment and disposal of human faeces and sewage. Preventing human contact with faeces is part of sanitation, as is washing hands with soap. Public places where a large number of people gather, such as bus terminals, railway stations, and fairgrounds, should have adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities. The majority of people in underdeveloped and developing countries do not have toilets, bathrooms, or a proper drainage system in their homes or public places. The generation of waste is an essential part of human activities. But we can limit the type of waste and quality of waste produced. We can also help in the proper disposal of wastes. Every citizen has a responsibility to protect and improve the environment. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect water resources and practise good sanitation.

FAQs on Sanitation at Public Places

Q.1. State the various ways in which you can contribute to maintaining sanitation at public places.
Ans: We can contribute to sanitation in public places by following these simple practices:
i. Do not throw rubbish such as paper, food waste, bags, empty plastic water bottles, etc., in public places.
ii. Rubbish must be disposed of in the appropriate waste bins. However, if the rubbish bin is not available in a public place, we must take the rubbish home and throw it in the bin.
iii. We should not spit in public places.
iv. After you eat a banana, you cannot throw the banana peel off the roadside or any other public place.
v. We should never urinate roadside.

Q.2. Who is responsible for maintaining sanitation at public places?
Ans: The legal representative or the person in charge of the place of a public event is the main responsible for maintaining hygiene and safety in the area of ​​operation.

Q.3. What do you mean by sanitation at public places?
Ans: Public places where a large number of people gather, such as bus terminals, railway stations, and fairgrounds, should have adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities. It is known as sanitation in public places.

Q.4. Why is public sanitation important?
Ans: Access to safe drinking water and good sanitary conditions are essential for family well-being. It results in the control of enteric diseases and improves the health of children. Better hygiene also helps the environment. Clean drinking water and good hygiene do not prevent infection without practising good hygiene.

Q.5. What are the 4 basic sanitation practices?
Ans: The four basic sanitation practices are as follows:
i. Do not throw rubbish such as paper, food waste, bags, empty plastic water bottles, etc., in public places.
ii. Rubbish must be disposed of in the appropriate waste bins. However, if the rubbish bin is not available in a public place, we must take the rubbish home and throw it in the bin.
iii. We should not spit in public places.
iv. After you eat a banana, you cannot throw the banana peel off the roadside or any other public place.

Q.6. What is the cause of poor sanitation?
Ans: Poor sanitation is linked to the transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and polio and exacerbates growth retardation. Poor sanitation affects human well-being and social and economic development due to anxiety, risk of sexual assault, and loss of educational opportunities.

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