November 19th: World toilet day

toilet

Global. 19.11.2019. Today we join to the World toilet day celebrated every year on November 19th, an official date from 2013 by the UN – United Nations World toilet day initiative to get the citizens attention about a global health and environmental crisis all over the world.

Why is so important?

Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is a human right. An inappropiate management of the defecation systems all over the world brings an unhealthy system specially for those places with higher poverty. Over 4.2 billion of people lives today without a safely and healthy sanitation system due to a poor maintenance or infrastructure.

Additionally, bad habits like disposing hygienic towels (baby towels), women sanitary towels, nappies, etc. commonly found on the pipes representing not only pipes jam but a serious disease and death problem with the environmental impact for the water sources contamination with faeces.

Mathematics of the toilet

Two years ago our Director Enrique Zuazua and Project Manager Miren Arretxe, explained with “Las Matemáticas del retrete” how the theory of Mathematics of Control is applied when toilets -from older to newest- work from the start at the chain-pulling, an interesting and important application that includes the Norbert Wiener explanation about the Science of Control and communication between humans and machines.

What we can do?

This matter must involves all levels: communities, educational centers, companies, enterprises, governments, etc. It’s imperative to prepare and redesign services to guarantee a healthy sanitation system for all. Check the WHO information, USAID planning and factsheet from UN.

Don’t miss out the online game available at the “Leaving no one behind” initiative for the World toilet day 2019.

More information about the World toilet day and the SDG6 – Sustainable Development Goal from UN for 2030