World Toilet Day is celebrated each year on Nov. 19. What’s that you say? No, it's not another Hallmark greeting card day; it's a day proclaimed by the United Nations to bring about awareness of a global concern.
I've seen firsthand the problem in India and other developing countries, where it is not safe for a woman to defecate in the open during the day, so they would wait until after dark and risk sexual assault. I’ve seen in villages in Alaska without water and sanitation, where "honey buckets" are still being used.
As a licensed union plumber for 45 years, I’ve dealt with a lot of it. Go to World Toilet Day for more information on what you can do. Think global, plumb local.
Michael R. Carey
Anchorage
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