Toilets and Sanitation at the Kumbh Mela
2014
This case describes efforts to balance public health concerns with religious and cultural practices of religion pilgrims in India. The Kumbh Mela festival, the largest mass gathering in the world, takes place every 12 years in Allahabad, India. Pilgrims at the 2013 festival followed toilet and water sanitation practices common in South Asia, practicing defecation in both designated areas (contained squat toilets and private “flag” areas for open defecation) as well as public defecation in the sand or by the riverbanks. The construction of the site—and organization of the facilities to support it—follow a detailed system that has developed over decades of close collaborations with national, state, and regional governments and religious leaders, and includes the provision of clean drinking water and public toilets. This case describes efforts by government officials during the 2013 festival to ensure and maintain adequate and appropriate sanitation facilities (toilets and the use of safe drinking water) and the long-term impact of the observed practices on the physical environment. The case introduces students to the conditions and challenges of water and sanitation as it relates to cultural issues (social determinants of health) in global communities with limited resources for optimal health governance.
Toilets and Sanitation at the Kumbh Mela - Teaching Case
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Source:
Holman SR, Shayegan L. Toilets and Sanitation at the Kumbh Mela. Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University, Harvard School of Public Health, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University 2014. https://repository.gheli.harvard.edu/repository/10697.