The Importance Of Sanitation

Introduction: Much like water, food and shelter, sanitation is also an equally important part of society. Without sanitation, the other mentioned necessities to life such as water and food would not be so effective. Furthermore, unsanitary living conditions lead to dangerous diseases which can sometimes lead to catastrophic consequences for civilization. Also in a lot of ways, proper sanitation provides the appropriate dignity and respect to people which are important in maintaining order in a civilized society. Hence, sanitation is an important measure of quality of life in society as it is defined as the general well being of individuals and societies. However the state of, and the way sanitation is looked at varies country by country.

However it is not just the infrastructure but rather the culture and the beliefs that contribute to making it and keeping it a very clean country. If one travels to Japan, it is evident that people are consciously and even subconsciously constantly cleaning up for themselves and even for others. This has become part of the culture because it has been the tradition for a very long time. The two other prominent reasons for this are the major religions in Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism, and also what is being taught to children in schools. Religion is not usually part of the school curriculum but people who follow them learn it from their families at a young age because it is practiced at home. Since the Shinto gods are believed to hate filth, followers think the same. When one enters a Shinto shrine they have to wash their hands and rinse their mouths with cold water which is thought of as purifying act, cleansing them of filth. Likewise, in Buddhism the importance of cleanliness is emphasized. In Japanese schools, children are taught about the history of Japan and how there were several epidemics and natural disasters. Everyone has become aware of the need to keep their environment clean to keep the people living in Japan safe. ‘Osoji’, which is a Japanese word for ‘Cleaning’ is taught in schools. It’s not taught per se but it is something that is thought of as part of daily routine. It’s like lunch to us. They clean in small groups called ‘han’. The children clean classrooms, hallways and sometimes even the toilets. At some schools, there are not any janitors which means that the cleanliness of the school lies in the hands of the