Behavourial change

The practice of open defection is widespread in Bangladesh and despite the new latrine at Sahapur Bazaar there is still evidence of this practice on the ground behind the coconut trees. Provision of public facilities will not solve this behavioural tendency. It does however offer the experience of a clean, functioning and accessible latrine to workers and visitors to Sahapur Bazaar. The UP Chairman is quick to acknowledge the most significant area for total sanitation improvement is in the villages. He knows that in his constituency many households live from hand to mouth and even if they have an understanding of the benefits have limited capacity to construct a low cost hygienic latrine. At Sahapur Bazaar the promotion of hygienic practices in this case is the clean and accessible facility. Self driven motivation to not defecate in the open is all well and good, but if you have no facilities, practicing this can be difficult. As the Chairman says, "It will take time, but I am not hopeless."