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| Toilet conference opens in Delhi | Toilet conference opens in Delhi |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A World Toilet Summit has opened in the Indian capital, Delhi, with more than 40 countries taking part. | A World Toilet Summit has opened in the Indian capital, Delhi, with more than 40 countries taking part. |
| The four-day meeting will examine solutions and technologies that can be used to provide a basic need for nearly half the world's population. | The four-day meeting will examine solutions and technologies that can be used to provide a basic need for nearly half the world's population. |
| According to estimates, 2.6bn people around the world lack access to a hygienic toilet. | According to estimates, 2.6bn people around the world lack access to a hygienic toilet. |
| The United Nations hopes to halve this figure by 2015 as part of its millennium development goals. | The United Nations hopes to halve this figure by 2015 as part of its millennium development goals. |
| In India alone, more than 700 million people have no access to toilets which have proper waste disposal systems. | In India alone, more than 700 million people have no access to toilets which have proper waste disposal systems. |
| 'Familiar sight' | 'Familiar sight' |
| "It is as important an issue as anything," says Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International, an NGO that promotes the use of low-cost toilets in India and is joint organiser of the summit. | "It is as important an issue as anything," says Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International, an NGO that promotes the use of low-cost toilets in India and is joint organiser of the summit. |
| "It is mostly the Asian, African and Latin American countries that lack basic sanitation. So that's what we will be discussing at the summit," he adds. | "It is mostly the Asian, African and Latin American countries that lack basic sanitation. So that's what we will be discussing at the summit," he adds. |
| It is a sight familiar to anyone travelling around India by train. | It is a sight familiar to anyone travelling around India by train. |
| Mr Pathak says toilets are an important issue | Mr Pathak says toilets are an important issue |
| Early morning, many Indian villagers head to the nearest railway track and squat by its side relieving themselves. | Early morning, many Indian villagers head to the nearest railway track and squat by its side relieving themselves. |
| Others use their fields, the forests or any piece of open land that they can find. | Others use their fields, the forests or any piece of open land that they can find. |
| Women are particular badly off - they either have to head out before dawn or in the night when it is relatively more private, but it means they are vulnerable to disease or even sexual assault. | Women are particular badly off - they either have to head out before dawn or in the night when it is relatively more private, but it means they are vulnerable to disease or even sexual assault. |
| The UN wants to remedy the situation by 2025. | The UN wants to remedy the situation by 2025. |
| But the problem is that it is quite expensive for most countries in the developing world to set up western-style toilets and sewage systems. | But the problem is that it is quite expensive for most countries in the developing world to set up western-style toilets and sewage systems. |
| But there are alternatives. | But there are alternatives. |
| Anita Jha, vice-president of Sulabh International explains, "We have several models of traditional Indian-style squat toilets. These range in cost from 700 to 3,000 rupees ($18 - $75) and also use very little water." | |
| "That makes them very useful in countries with a water scarcity problem," she says. | "That makes them very useful in countries with a water scarcity problem," she says. |