Indian wardens bang drums to halt peeing in public
"We are constructing public toilets... and people will be encouraged to use them," Ramniwas Jat, head of the state's Jhunjhunu district council, told the Times of India.
"We want to raise awareness against the practice of urinating in public, which gave birth to the idea of beating drums and blowing whistles."
The Times said that volunteers, who will be paid a small wage, would embarrass people caught urinating or defecating by standing behind them and letting loose a barrage of noise.
Guilty parties would also have their names read out on public address systems.
Defecating in the open is a serious social issue in India, touching on health, hygiene, women's rights and the clash between traditional and modern lifestyles.
Women often refuse to go to the toilet outdoors during daylight hours to preserve their modesty, so they must go before dawn or wait many hours before it is dark again.
Walking barefoot where villagers defecate every day also spreads diseases such as tapeworm, and many children play close to outdoor latrine areas.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh recently encouraged future brides to check their new family's home to ensure it had an indoor toilet before accepting any marriage proposal.
Earlier this year he said India should be ashamed that nearly 60 percent of all people in the world who defecate in the open were in India.
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Sheer nonsense, why investing on wardens and drums? WHY NOT MAKING PUBLIC TOILETS?
this is disgusting . men sitting road side for such peeing is so cheap . They have zero morals . They don't care about pedestrians or traffic . They should be fined after public humiliation . (sincerely a woman )
@Faraz: This is a local paper FYI, not publications about Indian drumming on Indian peeing.
BBC? It is like tabloid of Globalist whose staff is involved in child molesting (read BBC Saville scandal).
First the TV gone south and now newspapers are joining.
I live in the West and often urinate in my back yard when it is dark enough. It depends on the pressure and privacy.
If you actually catch them doing it... Taser aimed at the puddle mid-stream. Much more effective... and well, if a guy is going to the bathroom and gets drums banging and other instruments going, it sounds more like cheering them on.
@PakPrince: It is surely true that this problem is bigger in India than it is in Pakistan. But if you think it does not exist in Pakistan, you are simply uninformed. http://tribune.com.pk/story/424180/toilet-facilities--a-luxury-for-most-pakistanis/
@BlackJack: Some issues are cultural, others are infrastructural. I grant you that throwing dirt , spitting pan etc. are poor cultural habits that need to be penalized after initially conducting an effective communication.
But I really do not think anyone would 'go' in public if there was a way they could do it privately and hygienically. There are significant women's health issues that arise - precisely because the women do not 'go' in public during daytime and have to wait until late night or very early morning to do their business. If it was socially acceptable, surely they would also follow suit.
In countries where we live, the issue is hypothetical. Even on a long road trip, there is no way you would have to go for more than an hour without access to a clean toilet. We are never tested in this regards.
Elsewhere in ET Kayani said that pakistan is going through a critical phase and you are discussing and making fun of India's toilet troubles?
I agree with many that why Pakistan or China should be brought in this. This is a serious problem in India and should be acknowledged and addressed. On the question of cleanliness of public toilets, many in India do not know how to use the toilets properly and keep it clean. You will hardly find a toilet that is clean and dry. You will always find them wet and with all sorts of stains, be it from Pan or urine. Even in many homes in India, you will find that the bathrooms are wet. This culture has to change and there should be a campaign to educate people.
@indian: 70% of indians don't have access to toilets, the whole world know's it , please don't drag Pakistan or China in this matter, we never have an issue of public toilets and can't imagine a house without a toilet.........
I drummed at him and he peed on me!
Yesterday I was doing the same and the peeing man scolded me .
@Jewcifer: elsewhere in this newspaper is an article titled..wake up Pakistan, where do we stand in the comity of nations? that answers your question
@BlackJack: to gp65 " However, another issue that needs to combated is cultural – people feel that it is socially acceptable to unzip and let loose at the nearest corner which would never happen in the countries where you and I live, regardless of how badly one needed to go." @indian: "...peeing in open is a serious problem…..be it india,pakistan or china " It is a universal problem though it may not be as ubiquitous as in the countries you have named. I once saw a Russian get off a bus at a city bus stop and open up on a flower patch at the stop. He was stone-drunk if that can be a defence. I do not think however that anyone thinks "it is socially acceptable to unzip and let loose ..."; they don't do that in familiar settings.
@BlackJack: I think it is more than just lack of facilities too.
Because one never sees women going in the open; at least I have never seen any. So clearly disadvantaged women are either controlling themselves or at least are finding more out-of-the-way places to do their business. That's better than men going where ever the mood strikes; even on pavements.
One can also compare advantaged men and women. Men pee outside if needed in various situations - like while travelling. Just pull up and go on the side of the road. They should be more like us women who generally control ourselves or only in the worst-case scenario find a very far-off place to go. Not in plain view and where people might walk.
@Jewcifer: Then why the pain of coming here, on the internet? just buy a local paper and read local news! Internet is global (ever visited www.BBC.com?), open your mind to it. And I am Pakistani by the way.
@gp65: That is not entirely correct, because you are assuming that everyone who urinates in public is socially disadvantaged. There is a need for public toilets, and as the article indicates, some infrastructure will have to be created. However, another issue that needs to combated is cultural - people feel that it is socially acceptable to unzip and let loose at the nearest corner which would never happen in the countries where you and I live, regardless of how badly one needed to go. Littering is another such evil - people chucking garbage out of the most expensive cars is a common sight in many cities in India. I support effective communication stating that this behavior is not acceptable - and this step, while a bit crude, could actually work.
Indain wardens are mean.They are violating human rights
what non sense, instead of wasting money on drummers and whistlers, they should make public toilets and their hygine standards. I dont think people do it as a preference!
There is a reason why we left India, so we don't have to listen what Indians do.
Dear ET if you want to distribute Indian news, buy an Indian domain, open Indian office and publish Indian stories there.
How is this a solution? It is absence of access to clean toilets thatleads to open defecation. To humiliate people further is no solution. Address the root cause, don't add insult to injury for people who ware disadvantaged to begin with.
peeing in open is a serious problem.....be it india,pakistan or china ..........public toilets should be made and of of course awareness is also a big issue.....in villages even if people have tiolets they prefer open defecation......dats y awareness is important..............