0:00:00.954,0:00:08.319 It is very fashionable and proper [br]to speak about food[br] 0:00:08.319,0:00:15.529 in all its forms, all its colors, [br]aromas and tastes. 0:00:15.529,0:00:21.183 But after the food goes through [br]the digestive system, 0:00:21.183,0:00:24.429 when it is thrown out as crap, 0:00:24.429,0:00:28.026 it is no longer fashionable[br]to speak about it. 0:00:28.026,0:00:32.685 It is rather revolting. 0:00:33.192,0:00:40.362 I'm a guy who has graduated [br]from bullshit to full-shit. 0:00:40.732,0:00:43.801 (Laughter) 0:00:43.801,0:00:50.466 My organization, Gram Vikas, which means[br]"village development organization," 0:00:50.466,0:00:53.572 was working in the area [br]of renewable energy. 0:00:53.572,0:00:57.322 On the most part, we were [br]producing biogas, 0:00:57.322,0:01:01.140 biogas for rural kitchens. 0:01:02.257,0:01:08.050 We produce biogas in India [br]by using animal manure, 0:01:08.147,0:01:10.551 which usually, in India, [br]is called cow dung. 0:01:10.551,0:01:14.605 But as the gender-sensitive [br]person that I am, 0:01:14.605,0:01:17.533 I would like to call it bullshit. 0:01:17.533,0:01:19.916 But realizing later on 0:01:19.916,0:01:27.493 how important were sanitation[br]and the disposal of crap in a proper way, 0:01:27.493,0:01:32.051 we went into the arena of sanitation. 0:01:33.071,0:01:41.870 Eighty percent of all diseases [br]in India and most developing countries 0:01:41.870,0:01:45.917 are because of poor quality water. 0:01:45.917,0:01:49.511 And when we look at the reason [br]for poor quality water, 0:01:49.511,0:01:55.309 you find that it is our abysmal attitude [br]to the disposal of human waste. 0:01:56.305,0:02:00.344 Human waste, in its rawest form, 0:02:00.344,0:02:06.400 finds its way back to drinking water,[br]bathing water, washing water, 0:02:06.400,0:02:08.828 irrigation water, whatever water you see. 0:02:10.293,0:02:15.874 And this is the cause for 80 percent [br]of the diseases in rural areas. 0:02:17.474,0:02:23.695 In India, it is unfortunately only the[br]women who carry water. 0:02:23.695,0:02:27.303 So for all domestic needs,[br]women have to carry water. 0:02:28.824,0:02:33.098 So that is a pitiable state of affairs. 0:02:34.178,0:02:36.761 Open defecation is rampant. 0:02:36.761,0:02:40.866 Seventy percent of India[br]defecates in the open. 0:02:41.713,0:02:44.150 They sit there out in the open, 0:02:44.150,0:02:46.178 with the wind on their sails, 0:02:46.178,0:02:50.021 hiding their faces, exposing their bases, 0:02:50.021,0:02:54.889 and sitting there in pristine glory -- 0:02:54.889,0:02:57.195 70 percent of India. 0:02:57.195,0:03:00.428 And if you look at the world total, 0:03:00.428,0:03:06.963 60 percent of all the crap that is thrown[br]into the open is by Indians. 0:03:09.153,0:03:11.929 A fantastic distinction. 0:03:11.929,0:03:16.081 I don't know if we Indians can be proud[br]of such a distinction. 0:03:16.081,0:03:17.991 (Laughter) 0:03:18.096,0:03:20.278 So we, together with a lot of villages, 0:03:20.278,0:03:25.022 we began to talk about how to really [br]address this situation of sanitation. 0:03:25.022,0:03:30.979 And we came together and formed [br]a project called MANTRA. 0:03:30.979,0:03:37.836 MANTRA stands for Movement and Action[br]Network for Transformation of Rural Areas. 0:03:38.256,0:03:44.412 So we are speaking about transformation,[br]transformation in rural areas. 0:03:45.612,0:03:49.224 Villages that agree [br]to implement this project, 0:03:49.224,0:03:52.087 they organize a legal society 0:03:52.087,0:03:56.453 where the general body [br]consists of all members 0:03:56.453,0:04:02.336 who elect a group of men and women[br]who implement the project 0:04:02.336,0:04:07.101 and, later on, who look after[br]the operation and maintenance. 0:04:07.101,0:04:12.862 They decide to build a toilet [br]and a shower room. 0:04:12.862,0:04:15.943 And from a protected water source, 0:04:15.943,0:04:22.862 water will be brought to an elevated water[br]reservoir and piped to all households 0:04:22.862,0:04:25.327 through three taps: 0:04:25.327,0:04:31.629 one in the toilet, one in the shower, [br]one in the kitchen, 24 hours a day. 0:04:32.769,0:04:36.940 The pity is that our cities,[br]like New Delhi and Bombay, 0:04:36.940,0:04:40.371 do not have a 24-hour water supply. 0:04:40.371,0:04:44.174 But in these villages, we want to have it. 0:04:45.084,0:04:48.568 There is a distinct difference [br]in the quality. 0:04:49.459,0:04:55.328 Well in India, we have a theory,[br]which is very much accepted 0:04:55.328,0:04:58.910 by the government bureaucracy[br]and all those who matter, 0:04:58.910,0:05:03.823 that poor people deserve poor solutions 0:05:03.823,0:05:10.058 and absolutely poor people deserve[br]pathetic solutions. 0:05:10.058,0:05:16.503 This, combined with [br]a Nobel Prize-worthy theory that 0:05:16.503,0:05:18.872 the cheapest is the most economic, 0:05:18.872,0:05:23.560 is the heady cocktail that the poor[br]are forced to drink. 0:05:26.091,0:05:28.450 We are fighting against this. 0:05:28.450,0:05:34.941 We feel that the poor have been[br]humiliated for centuries. 0:05:34.941,0:05:37.359 And even in sanitation, 0:05:37.359,0:05:39.545 they should not be humiliated. 0:05:39.545,0:05:42.239 Sanitation is more about dignity 0:05:42.239,0:05:44.907 than about human disposal of waste. 0:05:44.907,0:05:49.236 And so you build these toilets [br]and very often, 0:05:49.236,0:05:55.442 we have to hear that the toilets are[br]better than their houses. 0:05:55.442,0:05:59.323 And you can see that in front are [br]the attached houses 0:05:59.323,0:06:02.151 and the others are the toilets. 0:06:02.151,0:06:08.799 So these people, without a single[br]exception of a family in a village, 0:06:08.799,0:06:11.455 decide to build a toilet, a bathing room. 0:06:12.598,0:06:18.256 And for that, they come together,[br]collect all the local materials -- 0:06:18.256,0:06:23.611 local materials like rubble, [br]sand, aggregates, 0:06:23.611,0:06:26.139 usually a government subsidy is available 0:06:26.139,0:06:29.417 to meet at least part of the cost [br]of external materials 0:06:29.417,0:06:32.926 like cement, steel, toilet commode. 0:06:34.211,0:06:36.598 And they build a toilet [br]and a bathing room. 0:06:38.317,0:06:44.695 Also, all the unskilled laborers, that is [br]daily wage earners, mostly landless, 0:06:44.695,0:06:51.499 are given an opportunity to be [br]trained as masons and plumbers. 0:06:52.098,0:06:57.175 So while these people are being trained, [br]others are collecting the materials. 0:06:57.175,0:07:02.841 And when both are ready,[br]they build a toilet, a shower room, 0:07:02.841,0:07:09.840 and of course also a water tower, [br]an elevated water reservoir. 0:07:09.840,0:07:15.171 We use a system of two leach pits [br]to treat the waste. 0:07:15.171,0:07:19.469 From the toilet, the muck comes[br]into the first leach pit. 0:07:19.469,0:07:24.494 And when it is full, it is blocked [br]and it can go to the next. 0:07:24.494,0:07:29.343 But we discovered that if you plant[br]banana trees, papaya trees 0:07:29.343,0:07:32.726 on the periphery of these leach pits, 0:07:32.726,0:07:35.987 they grow very well[br]because they suck up all the nutrients 0:07:35.987,0:07:41.478 and you get very tasty bananas, papayas. 0:07:41.478,0:07:44.180 If any of you come to my place, 0:07:44.180,0:07:48.293 I would be happy to share[br]these bananas and papayas with you. 0:07:49.478,0:07:55.288 So there you can see [br]the completed toilets, the water towers. 0:07:55.288,0:07:59.378 This is in a village where [br]most of the people are even illiterate. 0:08:01.098,0:08:03.508 It is always a 24-hour water supply 0:08:03.508,0:08:09.114 because water gets polluted[br]very often when you store it -- 0:08:09.114,0:08:14.936 a child dips his or her hand into it,[br]something falls into it. 0:08:14.936,0:08:19.225 So no water is stored. It's always on tap. 0:08:21.288,0:08:25.416 This is how an elevated [br]water reservoir is constructed. 0:08:25.416,0:08:27.596 And that is the end product. 0:08:27.596,0:08:32.283 Because it has to go high,[br]and there is some space available, 0:08:32.283,0:08:35.159 two or three rooms are made[br]under the water tower, 0:08:35.159,0:08:39.801 which are used by the village for [br]different committee meetings. 0:08:39.801,0:08:45.802 We have had clear evidence[br]of the great impact of this program. 0:08:46.675,0:08:50.428 Before we started, there were, as usual, 0:08:50.428,0:08:55.713 more than 80 percent of people suffering[br]from waterborne diseases. 0:08:55.858,0:09:02.231 But after this, we have empirical evidence[br]that 82 percent, on average, 0:09:02.231,0:09:06.686 among all these villages --[br]1,200 villages have completed it -- 0:09:06.686,0:09:11.823 waterborne diseases [br]have come down 82 percent. 0:09:11.823,0:09:18.073 (Applause) 0:09:18.073,0:09:23.411 Women usually used to spend, [br]especially in the summer months, 0:09:23.544,0:09:30.295 about six to seven hours [br]a day carrying water. 0:09:31.206,0:09:34.890 And when they went to carry water, 0:09:34.890,0:09:40.259 because, as I said earlier,[br]it's only women who carry water, 0:09:40.259,0:09:46.834 they used to take their little children,[br]girl children, also to carry water, 0:09:46.834,0:09:51.615 or else to be back at home[br]to look after the siblings. 0:09:51.615,0:09:55.856 So there were less than nine percent[br]of girl children attending school, 0:09:55.856,0:09:58.207 even if there was a school. 0:09:58.207,0:10:01.179 And boys, about 30 percent. 0:10:01.179,0:10:08.148 But girls, it has gone to about 90 percent[br]and boys, almost to 100 percent. 0:10:08.148,0:10:12.795 (Applause) 0:10:12.795,0:10:16.027 The most vulnerable section in a village 0:10:16.027,0:10:20.086 are the landless laborers who are[br]the daily wage-earners. 0:10:20.086,0:10:22.696 Because they have gone [br]through this training 0:10:22.696,0:10:26.296 to be masons and plumbers and bar benders, 0:10:26.296,0:10:32.559 now their ability to earn has [br]increased 300 to 400 percent. 0:10:34.325,0:10:37.765 So this is a democracy in action 0:10:37.765,0:10:41.591 because there is a general body, [br]a governing board, the committee. 0:10:41.591,0:10:44.461 People are questioning, [br]people are governing themselves, 0:10:44.461,0:10:47.110 people are learning to manage[br]their own affairs, 0:10:47.110,0:10:50.167 they are taking their own futures[br]into their hands. 0:10:50.882,0:10:56.731 And that is democracy at[br]the grassroots level in action. 0:10:58.831,0:11:04.005 More than 1,200 villages [br]have so far done this. 0:11:05.035,0:11:10.614 It benefits over 400,000 people[br]and it's still going on. 0:11:10.614,0:11:15.625 And I hope it continues to move ahead. 0:11:17.245,0:11:22.052 For India and such developing countries, 0:11:22.052,0:11:27.684 armies and armaments, 0:11:27.684,0:11:33.232 software companies and spaceships 0:11:36.486,0:11:42.944 may not be as important[br]as taps and toilets. 0:11:42.944,0:11:45.366 Thank you. Thank you very much. 0:11:45.375,0:11:49.897 (Applause) 0:11:49.897,0:11:53.803 Thank you.