Construction of pour flush toilets in Bumthang is becoming increasingly popular among the villagers after the Dzongkhag Health Sector and local leaders advocated on health benefits of having a proper toilet last year. Bumthang had only 45 per cent coverage of pour flush toilets in 2016. The Dzongkhag Health Sector aims to double the figure by the end of 11th Five- Year-Plan (FYP).
One of the places where pour flush toilets have been picked up very well is Khangrab Chiwog in Tang Gewog. Some of the toilets have already been constructed while others are nearing completion.
The Dzongkhag Health Officer goes around the villages to assess the toilets. The stakeholders’ meeting was conducted by the Dzongkhag Health Sector last year with local leaders and health workers to ensure and guide the construction of pour flush toilets in the villages.
“The respective local leaders and health workers have conducted the Community Development for Health Workshops and even water safety plan, so as per that the community came to know about the sense of ownership and the advantages of having pour flush toilets in their communities,” the Dzongkhag Health Officer, Kinga Gyeltshen told to BBS News.
He added: “We are left with some of the deprived families and those who are financially challenged but with the help of the community, we are trying to solve them in the end. As of now the progress is really good”
The chiwog’s Tshogpa Lekey, said when they advocated the villagers on the benefits and functionality of the flush toilets, “villagers unanimously agreed to construct such toilets in their homes and now almost every home has a flush toilet.”
Although, a pit toilet with slab is also considered a sanitary toilet, there are numerous advantages of having a pour flush.
“If we use the pour flush toilet and as well as if we have good hand washing practice with the soap, that will drastically decrease the cases of fecal borne and water bornediseases which in turn will decrease the morbidity and mortality rate in the district,” the Dzongkhag Health Officer.
Villagers concur with his views. “The pit toilet was smelly and water spills all over the place. Now, both feces and urine get flushed into the septic tank, which is very clean,” said Kezang.
The Dzongkhag Health Sector targets to have 100 per cent pour flush toilet coverage within the 12th FYP.
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