Hundreds of millions of Indians are not in the habit of using toilets, partly due to a lack of latrines.
This shortfall in basic infrastructure means that people use the great outdoors to relieve themselves. Thatleads to child deaths, stunting and various diseases which is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it one of his many missions to make more of India what New Delhi is calling ODF—short for open defecation free.
A story in The Wall Street Journal Friday outlined how something as simple as building toilets has become surprisingly political and challenging in some villages.
Here are some numbers to help explain India’s toilet troubles.
