Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, May 19: Six percent of the population in Jammu and Kashmir has no access to toilet facilities, the National Health and Family Survey (NHFS) has reported. Shopian is the only district with 100 percent access to toilet facility, while just 82 percent of the population in Kathua district has access to toilet facility.
The NFHS data in Anantnag 100 percent urban population and 98.4 percent rural population has access to toilet facility. In Budgam, 100 percent urban and 97.9 rural population has access. In Bandipora these numbers are 100 percent for urban and 96.1 percent for rural, Baramulla 99.3 percent urban and 99.9 rural, Doda 100 percent urban and 90.7 percent rural, Ganderbal 100 percent urban and 98.7 percent rural, Jammu 99.3 percent urban and 88.2 percent urban, Kathua 95.8 percent urban and 79.3 percent rural, Kishtwar 100 percent rural and 87.5 percent urban, and in Kulgam 100 percent urban and 98.4 rural.
Similarly, in Kupwara 100 percent urban population has access to toilet facility and 99.7 percent of the rural population, while in Pulwama 100 percent urban and 99.8 rural, Poonch 100 percent urban and 88.6 percent rural, Rajouri 98.5 percent urban and 89.5 percent rural, Ramban 89 percent urban and 91 percent rural, Reasi 100 percent urban and 83 percent rural, Samba 100 percent urban and 85.3 percent rural, Srinagar 99.6 percent (urban) population and in Udhampur 97.2 percent urban and 90.1 rural population have access to toilet facility.
In total, 99.4 percent urban population and 92.5 percent rural population, which means 94.4 percent of the total population in J&K, has access to toilet facilities.
As per religion, 89.8 percent Hindus, 96.7 percent Muslims, and 77.2 percent people of other religions have access to toilet facilities.
Among specific communities, 89.8 percent people belonging to Scheduled Castes, 84.5 percent people belonging to Scheduled Tribes, 93.1 percent people belonging to Other Backward Classes have access to toilet facilities in J&K.
Safe sanitation is one of the foundations of a healthy, comfortable, and dignified life. Households without proper sanitation facilities have a greater risk of diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, and typhoid than households with improved sanitation facilities that are not shared with other households, the survey notes.
“Six percent of all households and 8 percent of rural households do not use a sanitation facility; they use open spaces or fields. In Jammu & Kashmir, 94 percent of households have access to toilet facilities, with higher accessibility in urban areas (99%) than in rural areas (93%). Access to a toilet facility ranges from 85 percent among scheduled tribes to 96 percent among groups that are not scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, or other backward classes,” the NFHS survey reports.
“Access to toilet facility exceeds 80 percent in all districts of Jammu & Kashmir. It varies widely across the districts, ranging from 82 percent in Kathua district (79% in the rural areas) to 100 in Shopian district,” it adds.
