As Bhutan made the improvement of health a top priority, the South Asian country has officially put an end to open defecation on its territory, notably by successfully changing people’s perception and knowledge of sanitation.
“Bhutan’s Open Defecation Free (ODF) coverage is now 100%,” states Health Minister Sowai Lyonpo Dechen Wangmo. “This means all the homes in the country now have improved toilets.”
According to the World Health Organization, open defecation is the practice of relieving oneself in fields, forests, bushes, water bodies, or other open spaces. The Health Ministry of Bhutan has revealed that 76 gewogs – groups of villages – from 12 dzongkhags, or primary subdivisions, of Bumthang, Chukha, Gasa, Haa, Paro, Pemagatshel, Punakha, Samtse, Sarpang, Thimphu, Trashigang, and Zhemgang achieved 100% ODF this year. The number of people practicing open defecation has been in decline for the last 20 years. Between 2000 and 2020, that number went from 1,2 billion to 494 million, which translates into an average decrease of 37 million people every year.
