Sanitation is Individual Not Collective Responsibility: Sadhguru at Mission Swachhta aur Paani Telethon

Maintaining proper sanitation is the responsibility of individuals, spiritual leader Sadhguru said at Network18 & Harpic Mission Swachhta aur Paani telethon on Saturday, marked as World Toilet Day.

Speaking via video link at the grand telethon, Sadhguru said sanitation shouldn’t be called collective responsibility. “I wouldn’t use the word collective responsibility. Collective responsibility means you think I should do it and I think you should do it. Let’s stop that. We must understand it’s individual responsibility to keep myself and my surroundings clean,” he said.

He said the sanitation drive in India received a big push with the government’s Mission Swachhta but change needs patience.

“Are we serious about it? I think we are because since the launch of Swachh Bharat initiative in rural India, 11 crore toilets have been built. 60 crore people are supposed to have moved away from open defecation habit because once they lose the habit, they can’t go back to it. If they get used to something like closed toilet for about two to three months, after that they will not go back. So we have seen this marked change in many villages. But there are issues of water. There’s not enough, for lack of better word, potty training. Some panchayats have sorted it out very well, some are still struggling,” he said.

“Something as big as this happening in the country will happen in states as well. So I think we should be patient about that. It’s also a generational thing. I think the new generation is going for closed toilets,” he added.

Mission Swachhta aur Paani, an initiative by News18 & Harpic, is a movement that upholds the cause of inclusive sanitation where everyone has access to clean toilets. It advocates equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and strongly believes that clean toilets are a shared responsibility.

The eight-hour telethon showcased India’s sanitation journey so far and the road ahead for the next five years that will endeavour to bring about a behavioural shift ensuring clean and hygienic toilets. It brought together government leaders, celebrities, change-makers, sanitation workers and thought leaders from across India with the promise of leaving no one behind.

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