Editorial: Is it possible to reach low-income urban dwellers with good-quality sanitation? Environment & Urbanization, April 2015.
Authors: David Satterthwaite, Diana Mitlin, Sheridan Bartlett
All urban dwellers need safe, quick, easy access to clean toilets, day and night – without fear, without a long walk, without a long wait in line, and without the need to plan ahead or to spend more than they can easily afford. They should be able to count on privacy, cleanliness and the means to wash anus and hands quickly and conveniently, which is difficult if there is no water piped on the premises.(1) These toilets need to serve everyone – girls and boys, women and men of all ages and conditions.
Women who are menstruating should have not only a way to wash but a place to put their waste safely and privately. People with impaired mobility should not have to add toilets to the list of challenges they face.(2) Small children should be able to meet their needs without someone having to pick up and dispose of their waste or accompany them to a distant facility. Older children should be able to count on sufficient well-maintained toilets at school. And all toilets need to function so that toilet wastes do not end up contaminating anyone’s food, water or hands.
