Read the following words/expressions found in
today’s article.
1. do one’s business (idiom) [doo; unstressed doo, duh][wuhn][biz-nis] – another way of saying of “ to use the toilet”
Example: He went to the bathroom to do his business.
2. defecation (n.) [def-i-keyt] – the act
of releasing solid waste out of the body
Example: Irregular defecation may indicate a health problem.
3. latrine
(n.) [luh-treen] – an outdoor public toilet formed by making a hole in the ground
Example:
Travelers in India can use latrines for
their toilet use.
4. untouchables (n.) [uhn-tuhch-uh-buhl] – people
who belong to the lowest social status in India
Example: Untouchables
in India have a hard time finding jobs.
5. sanitation (n.) [san-i-tey-shuhn] – the
process of keeping places clean
Example: Sanitation
in public places prevents the spread of disease.
Article
Read
the text below.
An Indian village woman has succeeded
in forcing her husband to build a toilet in their house, after leaving him
for eight days.
Anita Narre’s decision to leave her
newlywed husband would be considered unusual. An NGO even offered Anita a
$10,000 reward for her “brave” decision.
When asked why she decided to leave,
Anita said it is not nice for women to go outside to do their business. She only returned after her husband Shivram
finally built a toilet with his small savings and with help from villagers.
The Indian government is currently
facing a very big challenge—there are not enough toilets for the country’s
1.2 billion people. Women in India especially suffer from the lack of
toilets.
Many people simply practice open defecation, wherein they relieve
themselves in public or open spaces. People in the rural and poor city areas
often do this, as they have no extra money to build their own flush toilets
or community latrines.
But the government has also been
pushing for change, as open defecation leads to many health problems. The
Indian government has created a law that requires toilets to be built for
communities, as part of a “sanitation
for all” project.
In some states, local laws require
public officers to build flush toilets in their homes, or else they will be
removed from their government positions. In addition, special funds are being
used to promote clean practices.
The government has also discouraged
the hiring of untouchables to
clean feces, in order to encourage people to use toilets.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
Discussion A
·
How do you think culture affect
people’s attitude towards cleanliness?
·
Do you think that the sanitation
problem in India is an issue of culture or poverty?
Discussion B
·
How is
sanitation being managed in your country? Please explain further.
·
How
can citizens help keep cleanliness?
