“WE MUST BREAK THE TABOOS.” – United Nations (UN) Secretary Ban Ki-moon, 2013
The Metropolitan and Waterworks Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS RO) recognizes this year’s celebration of Water Toilet Day on 19 November 2016.
With the theme, “Toilets and Jobs”, World Toilet Day 2016 hopes to continue urging companies and people to create solutions to the sanitation crisis still plaguing millions of people around the world, especially in the developing countries.
MWSS RO is joining this world-wide initiative to encourage more and more companies to recognize the impact that poor sanitation practices have on economies and livelihood. UN estimated that illnesses due to lack of sanitation and poor hygiene cause loss in productivity that can amount to as much as 5% of a country’s GDP. The International Labor Organization has documented that disease transmission at the workplace from poor sanitation causes 17% of all workplace deaths. Clean, separate toilet facilities are especially important for the protection and promotion of the dignity of women in the workforce, thereby maximizing their potential contribution to the economy.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that were set in 2015 include a target of ensuring that everyone everywhere will have access to clean toilets by 2030. There is thus a need for greater consciousness that toilets have a vital role in building a strong economy by improving health standards and protecting the dignity of people, especially women and children.
World Toilet Day is a day to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis – a topic often neglected and shrouded in taboos.
To learn more, visit the official website for the World Toilet Day 2016 celebration.