Freedom from dog poop, please!

Man’s best friend can also become his nemesis. According to a recent WHO report stating that 36% of the world’s rabies deaths occur in India is not germane to our narrative on India’s Swachh Bharat Abyayan but what is pertinent is the life threat to humans caused by the 24% of householders in our country who own dogs as pets and who nonchalantly walk their dogs in the mornings to make them defecate in public places.

With India holding 6th position for dog population in the world, millions of tonnes of disease transmitting faeces is produced by the dogs every day.

The morning walker who sets off at a brisk pace to breathe the crisp morning air finds his joy short lived as he steps into dog poop just as he takes a turn into the park, and on his unlucky days he may soil his shoes right in front of his gate.

But that is not the crux of the matter. Consider this - just one gram of dog poop can contain over 20 million E-Coli bacteria which can cause life threatening intestinal infections, diarrea, high fever and vomiting in humans.

There are other bacteria present in the poop which cause blindness, food poisoning and meningitis and parasites like tapeworm and round worm which cause serious damage to the kidney and left untreated can result in death.

Out of ignorance pet owners often solve poop issues by washing away the poop or by allowing it to dry and are happy with their solution but little do they know that dried poop allows the bacteria it contains to remain in the soil for several years.

It mixes with the air we breathe, infects our eyes, and causes damage to our respiratory and digestive systems.

This menace is not sufficiently addressed by the authorities and can be a serious threat to the Swachh Abyayan Mission which aims at a clean India.

It is surprising that all effort is directed at preventing Open Defecation by humans and no thought has been given to the Dog Poop threat to mankind.

Sporadic efforts are being made across the country in places like Chennai where the Chennai Corporation under its Solid Waste Management Scheme has decided to impose a fine on pet owners who fail to pick up their dogs’ poop.

A similar initiative has been introduced by South Delhi Municipal Corporation which proposed a Fine of Rs 500/- on Owners who let their pets defecate in public.

While these initiatives are appreciable they are certainly not adequate to solve the menace caused by the tonnes of animal excreta which lies unattended in our public places.

To make Swachh Mission a success this issue has to be integrated into the implementation of the Swachh Program.

People have to be made aware of the dangers of being exposed to the dog faeces, Installing Litter boxes at public places, providing poop scoopers for easy disposal, making pet owners responsible for the disposal of their pets poop, imposing fines on owners who fail to comply, insisting on owners getting a license for their pets, imposing modest amount of taxes on owners which can be utilised to provide pop disposal services can go a long way in ensuring that this issue does not put the Swachh Mission in jeopardy failing which all efforts at making our country clean and keeping it that way can never be accomplished.

Poop that!

• A recent WHO report stating that 36% of the world’s rabies deaths occur in India
• 4% of householders in our country who own dogs as pets and who nonchalantly walk their dogs in the mornings to make them defecate in public places
• India holding 6th position for Dog Population in the world
• Millions of tonnes of disease transmitting faeces are produced by the dogs every day
• Just one gram of dog poop can contain over 20 million E-Coli bacteria which can cause life threatening intestinal infections, diarrea, high fever and vomitting in humans
• There are other bacteria present in the poop which cause blindness, food poisoning and meningitis and parasites like tapeworm and round worm which cause serious damage to the kidney and left untreated can result in death
• Dried poop allows the bacteria it contains to remain in the soil for several years. It mixes with the air we breathe, infects our eyes, and causes damage to our respiratory and digestive systems