World’s longest toilet queue created in Bhopal - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

In a bid to highlight lack of sanitation facilities for people all over the world, a voluntary organization in Bhopal mobilized people to participate in the world’s longest toilet queue on Saturday. More than 1,500 people participated in the event organized by an NGO to mark UN World Water Day on March 22, and to stand in solidarity with 2.6 billion people worldwide, who are still waiting in line to use a safe and dignified toilet. “This campaign is very essential as there are many slum areas and communities where there are no toilets available for people. They go to toilet in open area, which increases the risk of health problems. Hence, we have participated in this campaign to urge that we should have proper facilities of sanitized toilets,” said Deba, a participant. The participants of event also hope to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records. The event was initiated for pushing politicians to prioritize water and sanitation by committing aid and resources at the first global high-level meeting on water and sanitation to be held in Washington DC in April. “Those politicians who are going to meet in Washington DC after one month, we want to give them a message that we all need sanitized toilets and clean water. This is our right and we should get it,” said Veshma, Programme Officer of the NGO, Water Aid. Besides Bhopal , the queue was also formed in Guna, Sheopur, Sehore, Datia, Chhatarpur and Dhar in Madhya Pradesh to highlight the problem of lack of sanitation. Meanwhile, in Melbourne, Hundreds of people were said to have gathered before a giant toilet prop over a bid to enter the Guinness World Record for "the world's longest toilet queue". The global campaign is expected to see participation from thousands of people from 61 countries ahead of the upcoming World Water Day. James Wicken, WaterAid Australia policy and campaigns head, said the organisation was urging government officials to attend the first ever high-level meeting on sanitation and water in Washington with the UN Children's Fund on April 23, the Herald Sun reported. In a WaterAid statement, Australia 's parliamentary secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan , said: "Without access to clean water and proper sanitation people cannot lead healthy, fully productive lives and communities and countries cannot develop."