Toilet as sociotechnical system for social impact (hygiene, sanitation).
This is a system map of
toilets as it is used to reflect the social impact of toilets around the
world. The map above and our analysis on this website illustrate the
toilets' impact to societies. Unfortunately, not all countries have proper
sanitation facilities (toilets). According to the World Health
Organization’s 2019 report, 2 billion people do not have proper sanitation
facilities
(WHO, 2019) Of
these people, 673 million defecate in the open areas (behind bushes or on
the ground/soil)
(WHO, 2019) At least ten
percent of the world population uses food irrigated by wastewater
(WHO, 2019)Poor sanitation
causes deaths annually and is a major reason for several diseases.
Additionally, it contributes to malnutrition, which not only impacts
developing countries but also developed countries
(WHO, 2019)
After searching for
toilets around the world, the research found that toilets play a
fundamental role in a society, including:
1. Increasing the sanitation,
hygiene, and clean water
2. Limiting the spread of
highly contagious diseases and children's death rate.
3. Allowing cities to grow
beyond a certain population.
4. Helping public health
today to keep higher standards than in the past.
5. Processing wastewater
to save biochemical energy.
6. Lack of easily
accessible toilets can lead to violence and physical/sexual assault
against women and reduce girls attendance in schools.
7. Creating a whole new
profession called plumbers and its associated industry.
Creating a whole new profession called plumbers and its associated
industry.
The politics of
wastewater governance, toilets, and access to sanitation all have
political dimensions. Some politicians in third-world countries use
the promise of access to toilets as a crucial component of their
political campaigns and public policy agenda. Even if we have the
technical capabilities to increase access to toilets, lavatories and
sanitation infrastructure, often, we see a lack of progress because
institutional, cultural, behavioral and societal barriers have been
erected through time. In light of this, behavioral determinants of
sanitation governance are complex and multicausal and have multiple
effects.
As an international team,
this study focused on the different types of toilets that people in
China, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey use. This system maps above
illustrates different toilet types (flush/sit/wall-hung/high-tank,
squat, urine, and catholes) that different socioeconomic classes use.
The study indicates that poor people and the lower middle class
generally have squat toilets and catholes (which is a common thing to
dig a hole on the soil in lower-income communities in Paraguay) to
defecate and urinate. While it is possible to see a few lower quality
sit toilets (or so called flushed toilets) around the world, it is less
likely that it is accessible to all communities. This leads to poor
hygiene, and ultimately to diseases, such as cholera diarrhoea,
dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. On the other hand, rich and
high middle class use higher quality toilets, such as flush toilets.
These flush toilets include heated seats, remote control that helps to
function the device or censors that help to raise the toilet lid or
flush. Some countries also have a bidet as a part of flush toilets.
While bidet/bidet shower is used for religious practices in muslim
countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey, it is seen as a luxury and used
by high-income communities for some third-world countries like Paraguay.
The systems map shows the standard flush toilets’ function to reflect
upon how hygiene and sanitation is provided in those communities. It is
clear that proper sanitation facilities are helpful to reduce any
infection or disease that causes a person and even a child’s life. In
order to keep our people safe and healthy, developing and developed
countries need resources and funds for creating sustainable and
economically affordable sanitation facilities and a proper distribution
system. While there are some projects that scientists work on to
establish a standard sustainable toilet, there needs to be investors
like Bill Gates to fund and support these projects/systems.
After seeing the
differences that a toilet makes to a society, as the The Toilet team, we
came to the conclusion that a high technology flush toilet (a sit
toilet) is necessary. Considering the analysis of four countries'
toilets, we propose an universal toilet that advances the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundations’ toilet project, which is a sustainable and water
efficient toilet. The universal toilet needs to have an additional
bidet/nozzle/faucet (which increases personal hygiene and would not
exclude any cultural or religious practices), heated seats (which will
ease the way the defecate for elderly and people with illness), and
remote control for accessibility. The toilet needs to be gender neutral.
Please see our
universal toilet page
