Using shame to change sanitary habits

Every morning before sunrise, Ravi Shankar Singh, a cheerful man known to his neighbours as "Luv" Singh, sets out to patrol the potholed roads and rice fields of this north Indian village. He carries a whistle and a flashlight. He sings while he walks.

The village's self-appointed sanitation guardian, Singh is on the lookout for anyone squatting in the fields or alleys, using the cover of darkness to do what millions of people have always done across India: defecate outdoors.

After years of programs to increase the number of latrines in villages, the government still has not managed to eradicate a practice that is cited in the spread of water-borne illnesses and parasites, such as diarrhea and hookworms.



Critics say the obstacle is not so much the shortage of latrines, though that, too, remains a problem for nearly half of India's rural population. The main challenge is getting people to use the facilities they have.

Singh says he's found a way. When he spots someone squatting, he lets loose with a blast on his whistle. Or shines his light on the offender. Or both.

No one, he says, likes being caught in the act.