A Scarcity of Toilets Among Rural Cambodianshttp://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/a-scarcity-of-toilets-among-rural-cambodians-7662/...
... is among the 66 percent of the rural population who still openly defecate outdoors, according to a new report released last month by the Rural Development Ministry and Unicef.
The continued lack of access to improved sanitation facilities, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as facilities that separate human excreta from human contact, is costing the government more than $400 million in health costs annually, the report says.
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While the government set a target in 2003 to reach universal access to proper latrines by 2025, only 28 percent of the population currently has access to one, the report states, adding that it is “unlikely” the government will reach its 100 percent target on time.
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...the reason so many people in the country still don’t have toilets is because there are still many people living under the poverty line.
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Defecating in the open, where bacteria and parasites can contaminate water resources, poses a real public health risk, according to Steven Iddings, an environmental engineer with the WHO in Cambodia.
Every year, about 2,300 children die from diarrheal diseases in Cambodia, according to a 2011 report from PATH International. And “a high proportion of childhood illnesses—especially diarrheal diseases—are linked to quality of water and water-related hygiene,” said Mr. Iddings.
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