Pit-Less Toilet induced Health Hazard: a Case study on Khulna City Corporation

Toilet is an important element which not only determined the social status but also determines the public health status. Toilet as well as sanitation also an important part of culture of any society. The fact is that the number of user of sanitary toilet have increased last few decades but it also true that unimproved sanitary toilet users also increased. Especially, developing countries like Bangladesh and so forth. Lack of systematic study this unimproved sanitary toilet like pit-less toilet, which have no pit or safety tank at all to store fecal or stool rather direct connect with nearby drain, also found in urban areas too. Therefore, this current study designed to investigate, do or not, the pit-less toilet as human induced health hazard. To understand the real scenario the ward no. 16 and 17 of KCC have chosen and three kind of qualitative tools have been adopted to collect data which includes, the photo analysis, case study and Klls. The findings of this study reveals that lack of consciousness and the cost of safety tank motivated people to choose pit-less toilet as a rational choice. It findings also shows that there were no difference between pit-less toilet and open-air defecation (OD) and like OD it also produced pathogenic organisms that includes, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Clostridium Perfringens and so on. And this organisms causes several diseases that includes, typhoid, dysenteries, diarrhoeas, cholera, hookworm diseases, ascariasis, viral hepatitis and parasite infections which possess a threat towards public health. However, because of malodor and ugliness this kind of toilet also accelerates several social problems likes, social exclusions, social conflict, lowering social status and decreasing social interactions. At this point, the pit-less toilet causing several hazardous activity on public health and social health, so it is reliable to say pit-less toilet is an induced health hazard of urban area. This study also speculate that because of this toilet a possible epidemic can breakout easily. To control such hazard it is necessary to act across multiple levels at the same time. So it should better follow social ecological model. Finally, this study open a new door of knowledge of social science, public health, urban health and disaster management. So, using the current study's framework further study needed on this ground.

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