Impact of Climate Change on Sanitation

Climate change affects everything. From rising sea levels and melting glaciers to intensifying storms and scorching heat waves, its tendrils reach far and wide. Yet, amidst this ecological upheaval, one crucial aspect often remains under-illuminated: the impact on sanitation. In India, a nation grappling with both climate vulnerabilities and a vast, diverse population, this intersection demands urgent attention.

Sanitation refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human waste and hygiene practices. It is essential for human dignity, health, and well-being. However, climate change poses significant threats to sanitation infrastructure and access, especially in vulnerable areas that are prone to floods or droughts.

Climate change is a complex phenomenon that involves changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level, and weather patterns. These changes have direct and indirect effects on sanitation systems and practices.

How does climate change impact sanitation in flood-prone areas?

Floods are one of the most common natural disasters that affect millions of people every year. They cause severe damage to sanitation infrastructure by submerging or washing away toilets, latrines, septic tanks; clogging and overflowing sewers; damaging wastewater treatment plants and waste disposal sites.

They also compromise the safety of water sources by contaminating surface water (rivers, lakes) with faecal matter; causing freshwater and saltwater to mix, and reducing groundwater recharge. This results in serious health risks to people in the form of increased exposure to waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry diseases such as malaria and causing injuries or deaths due to drowning or electrocution

Floods also have several knock on effects like forcing people to evacuate their homes, disrupting work or school, reducing access to essential services and in turn, increasing their vulnerability to poverty and/or exploitation.

How does climate change impact sanitation in drought-prone areas?

Droughts, on the other hand, are prolonged periods of abnormally low rainfall that affect water availability and quality. They are expected to become more frequent and severe due to climate change.

Droughts reduce the water available for flushing toilets, washing hands, and cleaning. They also increase the demand for water for drinking and irrigation, while lowering the water table and affecting the functioning of wells and boreholes. In fact, droughts often make wells unusable because they increase the salinity.

Droughts can also affect public health by increasing their exposure to diseases due to poor hygiene, causing dehydration, malnutrition, and heat stress and also causing mental health effects due to increased stress and anxiety. Moreover, droughts reduce the income and livelihoods of farmers or other water-dependent sectors and increase conflicts over scarce water resources, often forcing people to migrate or relocate to other areas.

What can be done to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change on sanitation?

The impact of climate change on sanitation is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires a holistic and integrated approach. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a range of possible options that can be tailored to the specific context and needs of each area.

By and large, these mitigations involve a combination of:

• Adaptation by diversifying the sources and methods of water supply and sanitation
• Risk reduction through early warning systems, improving preparedness and response plans, and strengthening emergency relief and recovery efforts
• Awareness and education of the causes and consequences of climate change and its impact on sanitation among various stakeholders such as policymakers, service providers, users, and communities

India is one of the countries that is most vulnerable to the impact of climate change on sanitation due to its large population, diverse geography, and frequent exposure to natural disasters. However, India is also one of the countries that is leading the way in developing and implementing innovative solutions and best practices to address this challenge.

Climate-resilient toilets: These are toilets that are designed to withstand or adapt to the effects of climate change such as floods or droughts. For example, ecosan toilets that use urine diversion and composting to reduce water use and produce fertiliser; bio-toilets that use bacteria to decompose human waste without water; container-based sanitation that uses portable containers for waste collection and transport; etc.

Community-led total sanitation (CLTS): This is an approach that empowers communities to analyse their own sanitation situation and take collective action to improve it without external subsidies or incentives. The approach has been widely used in India and other countries to achieve open defecation free status. The approach has also been adapted to include climate-resilient aspects such as disaster preparedness, water conservation, etc.

Awareness as a starting point

While the Swachh Bharat Mission has been a resounding success in creating the right sanitation infrastructure, there is work to be done in keeping it that way. As climate change related challenges are only expected to increase over the next decades, India faces the dual challenge of creating behavioural change that drives toilet adoption, and the need to create platforms and forums where the right stakeholders can come together to brainstorm solutions to what promises to be an evolving problem.

Harpic, as India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment, has already been at work. For decades now, Harpic has vocally championed the cause of toilet hygiene through innovative and thought provoking campaigns and outreach programs. Together with News18, it also created the Mission Swachhta aur Paani initiative 3 years ago. It is a movement that upholds the cause of inclusive sanitation where everyone has access to clean toilets. Mission Swachhta aur Paani advocates equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and strongly believes that clean toilets are a shared responsibility.

Through Harpic World Toilet Colleges, Harpic is empowering the frontline in our fight for better sanitation: our sanitation workers. It is changing the way sanitation work is viewed, uplifting the entire profession, and creating dignity and safety for sanitation workers. These empowered sanitation workers make exceptional ambassadors of change in their own communities, and in the communities they serve, helping improve adoption and serve as a liaison when changes need to be made.

Moreover, Mission Swachhta aur Paani combines intelligent dialogue between the right stakeholders, ie. government officials, NGOs, activists, sanitation workers, educators and members of the public, with the audience reach News18 brings. It has brought to light many problems our sanitation infrastructure, and sanitation workers face.

It also invites you to engage with this knowledge, and help move the conversation forward. Sanitation is a collective and shared responsibility, just like climate change. Join us here, to be a part of the solution and help us usher in a Swasth and Swachh Bharat.