Every year, the United Nations and several other international organizations celebrate World Toilet Day on November 19. The official convener of the World Toilet Day is the UN-Water. World Toilet Day celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 4.2 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. It is about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
This year the theme remarks the importance of “Sustainable sanitation and climate change”.
Climate change is accelerating. Flood, drought, and rising sea levels are threatening sanitation systems – from toilets to septic tanks to treatment plants. Floodwater can contaminate wells used for drinking water or flooding might damage toilets and spread human waste into communities and food crops, causing deadly and chronic diseases.
Everyone must have sustainable sanitation, alongside clean water and hand washing facilities, to help protect and maintain our health security and stop the spread of deadly infectious diseases such as COVID-19, cholera, and typhoid.
