In Karnataka, a young teenager, Mallamma did not eat for three days. Why? Her parents did not want to build a toilet in the house.

At Danapur, in Gangavati district, she started a hunger strike for a toilet in her house, getting inspired by her teacher at school.

At home, when her request for a toilet was ignored by her mother, who said it would be costly and there was no space for it, the teenager went to a hunger strike, refusing to eat for three days.

Mallamma’s anxious measures came to light when R. Ramachandran, zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer, visited her house as part of a door-to-door campaign to create awareness on the need for toilets.

Mr. Ramachandran immediately instructed the officials to take steps to construct a toilet near Mallamma’s house within a week. Such a positive response from the public has enhanced our confidence of making the district open-defecation free before March 2017,” he said, as reported by a English daily.

Recently, the gram panchayat member consistently tried to persuade people not to defecate in the open and to build toilets in their homes and another panchayat member stated blowing whistles to stop the people defecating outside.

(prepared from media sources by Seema Kumari)

  development, health, Karnataka