NEW DELHI—It’s a common sight in India to see men peeing against walls and trees in public, a problem that is older than the country’s democracy. And while this phenomena largely stems from a lack of public toilets, there are also cultural factors behind it as well.
According to Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of the NGO Sulabh International, that runs over 8,000 public toilets across India, the menace of public urination is linked to the lack of a culture around sanitation in the country.
For many generations, people would simply relieve themselves outdoors, and today, less than half of Indians have toilets in their homes, according to 2011 census data. This has translated into Indians today not considering a toilet as important as good food and shelter to maintain a high standard of living, Pathak said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken on India’s public urination problem as part of the Clean India campaign he started last October.
The Modi government is trying to change people’s attitudes on the issue through a public awareness campaign, which includes billboards showing a man peeing against a wall with, “How long will you be irresponsible? At least have some shame. Clean up your mind,” written in Hindi. It has also released a video that shows people clapping after a person does something unsanitary, like defecating in public, as a way to shame them.
