As per the World Health Organization (WHO), poor sanitation is believed to be the main cause of approximately 4,32,000 deaths every year. I am sure you will all agree that is too much! Gradually, we all have realized that sanitation is an important factor in maintaining the health of a nation. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi realised this as well, and that is why the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in 2014 on a large-scale across the country.

By Vinay Gupta

However, people all over the world still lack awareness about plumbing and its effects on health and hygiene. And that is why the World Plumbing Council (WPC) observed World Plumbing Day on March 11, 2010, for the first time. WPC has always been working with its member countries and its partnership bodies like WHO all year round to promote the benefits of safe plumbing, but in 2010 it was decided to launch the concept of embedding a single day on the world’s calendar, dedicated to plumbing.

Indian Plumbing Skills Council (IPSC) has proudly taken part in all the initiatives that are directly or indirectly linked with the upliftment of the plumbing sector in India. As an organisation working towards skilling and upgrading the plumbing community of India, our eco-system has always carried out multiple activities each year to celebrate the World Plumbing Day.

This year was no different and IPSC’s affiliated training partners celebrated World Plumbing Day in different parts of the country. Ashirvad Plumbing School in Bengaluru celebrated the event by organising a poster making competition, a plumbing skills competition and a skit contest in their premises. The motive behind conducting these activities was to educate the students about the vital role of plumbing.

One of our training partners, Pratham Education Foundation, carried out some fabulous activities to celebrate World Plumbing Day as well. In the Panvel district of Maharashtra, they organised two free plumbing service camps and an awareness rally. In the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, the TP organised a free plumbing service camp at a police station and an awareness rally regarding water conservation. Pratham Education Foundation also demonstrated simple domestic water-conservation methods to the public in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Same camps were organised by the organisation in Odisha as well.

Our training partner E-Biz Technocrats Pvt Ltd celebrated the day with the same energy. The training partner carried several activities across its centres in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Some government schools in West Bengal also carried out awareness initiatives and painting competitions highlighting the importance of plumbing. IPSC has been carrying out assessments in these schools as part of school vocational education, led by the states’ school board.

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that 900 million (90 crores) school children across the world have no handwashing facilities. 6 in 10 people lack safely managed sanitation, 3 in 10 people worldwide lack access to safe, readily available water at home. The numbers are alarming and there is no doubt that the entire world is combating this, however, we need to be more pro-active to counter the numbers. And dedicated days like World Plumbing Day are proving to be catalysts in spreading awareness regarding plumbing not only in India but across the World.

The author is a vice-chairman of the Indian Plumbing Skills Council. He is the founding member of the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), a technocrat from IIT Delhi, and a premium tapware manufacturer in Delhi for last 35 years. Views are his own. He can be reached via vg@ipssc.in.