The toilet-building frenzy, tallied on a government website, shrouds a bigger problem: many who get toilets don’t use them. Some consider it impure to use indoor toilets. At times, fathers-in-law refuse to share toilets with their daughters-in-law.
In houses unconnected to sewage systems—the majority of village residences—people worry about cleaning latrine pits, a job associated with those formerly known as “untouchables.” Others don’t see the need to change.
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I like to take a walk,” said Luv Nishad, 35, a laborer in the village of Nagar, “and do my business away from where we sleep and pray.”
In October, Mr. Koshle sealed a gap in the walls of a school whose large, grass-covered grounds had become a bathroom of choice. Dozens marched to his home in protest, wielding water buckets they carry for outside duty. They demolished the wall.
“Going to the toilet has become very political,” said Mr. Koshle. “You can’t imagine the hostility we’ve encountered.”