環(huán)球英語 — 85：World Toilet Summit
Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight. I’m Rebekah Schipper.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Every day, all over the world, groups of people meet together. They meet to talk about important issues. Business people meet about ways to improve their companies. Teachers meet about new ways to teach mathematics, science, or English. World leaders meet about international policies. But, have you ever heard of people meeting about toilets?
Voice 2
In October 2007, people from forty [40] different countries met in Delhi, India. They met to talk about toilets. Many people may not think that toilets are a very important subject to discuss. But, the people attending the World Toilet Summit disagree. They believe that toilets are an important part of good health. And they know that over two billion [2,000,000,000] people are without toilets. That means that over two billion people are at risk of infection, every day.
Voice 1
You see, human waste is made of mostly two [2] things, water and dangerous organisms like bacteria. These organisms can cause different diseases - if the organisms enter a person’s mouth. In fact, many diseases are spread through human waste. These diseases include food poisoning, diarrhoea, cholera and typhus. These are all deadly diseases. In fact, the United Nations estimates that every year over two million [2,000,000] children die from diarrhoea and other diseases caused by human waste.
Voice 2
The problem is that everyone must have a place to rid their bodies of waste - including people who do not have toilets. Some people use their fields. So, the organisms in their waste find a new place to live. Often, the organisms choose to live on the food growing in the field. When people eat that food, they can get sick.
Voice 1
Other people use rivers to carry away their waste. But organisms from human waste can live in water. So, when people use water from the river, they can get sick.
Voice 2
And in some places many people must share one toilet. This is the case for one poor area in Mumbai, India. One thousand four hundred and forty [1440] people share one toilet. In this situation, the toilet and the area around it can get very dirty. Large groups of dangerous organisms begin to grow. People who use dirty toilets can get sick, especially if they do not wash their hands. It is important to always wash your hands after using a toilet. You never know how clean the toilet actually is. Even if you are the only one using it, you should always wash your hands.
Voice 1
After learning about human waste and disease it is easier to understand the importance of toilets. Toilets make it easier to keep human waste out of our fields and rivers. Providing toilets for everyone makes it easier to keep them clean from bacteria and other harmful organisms. Toilets help keep people healthy.
Voice 2
And that is why people met to talk about toilets at the World Toilet Summit. They want to keep people healthy by providing toilets. The people at the Summit have a goal. They share this goal with World Health Organization. They hope that by the year 2015, the number of people without toilets will be reduced by half.
Voice 1
But, there are problems with providing toilets for many people. First, it can cost a lot of money to start. That is why so many people in the world still do not have a toilet. So, at the Summit, people discussed ways to make toilets that cost less. Many toilet companies also attended the Summit. They brought along their ideas for lower priced toilets. One idea came from an Indian company called Sulabh International. This company created several different models of traditional Indian squat toilets. People do not sit on these toilets. These toilets are on the ground. People lower themselves over them. These toilets cost less and use very little water.
Voice 2
Sulabh International has built thousands of these toilets in India already. They cost as little as ten [10] dollars each. The local government paid to build the toilets. But, people who use them must pay a small fee of two cents. This money goes to help keep the toilets clean and running. Children and those who are disabled can use the toilets for free.
Voice 1
Another problem is that many people who live in poor communities are not educated about toilets or the importance of keeping toilet areas clean. So, discussion at the Summit also included education methods. One method was to form community groups. These groups would help educate communities about using toilets. These groups would also have the job of keeping the toilets clean.
Voice 2
The efforts made by the people at the World Toilet Summit are important. Soon, their efforts will start saving lives.
Voice 1
You many be wondering if there is any evidence supporting toilets and their link to health. We will leave you today with this story from Pakistan.
Voice 2
In 1980, there was a group working in a poor area in Karachi, Pakistan. This group decided the community needed a better system to get rid of human waste. The group gathered the community members together. The group then educated the men and woman from the community about toilets and health. The community decided that having a better system would be a good idea.
Voice 1
So, little by little the community began to build sewer channels. These sewer channels collected human waste. The channels carried the waste away from the toilets in people’s homes to a safe area. In this area the waste could not reach food or water sources. Soon, the whole community had sewer channels leading waste away from their homes. And do you know what happened?
Voice 2
Well, in this community the death rate for babies dropped. When the project started, thirteen percent of babies would die. After the community finished, the death rate dropped to just four percent! The new toilet system helped to save some of the most helpless members of the community - babies!
Voice 1
Other communities have experienced similar results. According to the United Nations, communities with more toilets experience less disease. The rates of food poisoning, diarrhoea, cholera and typhus have dropped in these communities.
Voice 2
So, the next time you flush think about how important that flush is!
Voice 1
Would you like to learn more about toilets and the World Toilet Summit? Would you like to get involved in providing toilets for people who do not have one? Please look to the script page for this program on our website. There, you will find links to websites that can help get you involved.
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