World Toilet Day is observed every year on November 19. This observance is organised by UN Water to draw global attention to the sanitation crisis. Today over a billion of people still do not have access to proper sanitation facilities and UN World Toilet Day calls on the global community to do more to address this sanitation crisis. Ahead of World Toilet Day 2020, let us understand more about the date, history and significance of this important day. World Toilet Day 2020: From Scented Candles to Plants, Ways to Decorate Bathroom and Ensure a Pleasant Washroom Experience (Watch Videos).

World Toilet Day Date and Theme

World Toilet Day is marked on November 19, on the same day of the inaugural World Toilet Summit was held in the year 2001. Since then every year, World Toilet Day is organised by UN Water.

There is a specific theme to every annual celebration. The World Toilet Day 2020 theme is "Sustainable sanitation and climate change". It draws focus on climate change and how it threatens even the sanitation systems. A rising water level or the flood water can contaminate drinking water sources. Damaged toilets due to flooding can spread the human waste and in turn causing deadly diseases. So this year's theme focuses on how toilets too can help in fighting climate change with sustainable sanitation systems. What Is the Purpose of World Toilet Day? What Is World Sanitation Day? Top FAQs on This International Observance.

History and Significance

An unofficial observance of World Toilet Day was started by the World Toilet Organization (a Singapore-based NGO) in 2001. The UN General Assembly was obviously declared as UN day in 2013. Singapore tabled a resolution to declare such an observance. This day exists to inform, engage and inspire people to take action toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 which aims to "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all".

Worldwide, 4.2 billion people live without "safely managed sanitation" and around 673 million people practice open defecation. So World Toilet Day is about taking an action to tackle the problem of sanitation across the global. Open defecation can cause several diseases and contamination of water sources. So safe sanitation and good hygiene is important.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2020 10:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).