Unsafe sanitation practices behind high infant and maternal deaths, admit officials

By A Representative 

Emphasizing the importance of cleanliness and hygiene as essential for strengthening the health of women and children, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development, Leena Johri, said that cleanliness should become a collective habit. She claimed that “cleanliness is the key to the health of lactating women and children. It should become a communal habit, not just a personal practice.”

Speaking at a workshop in Lucknow, Johri said that disparity in sanitation practices remains a major challenge, adding that Anganwadi and frontline workers are being prepared as “Swachhata Doots” and “Behaviour Change Messengers” to promote safe hygiene and life-sustaining habits within families and communities, contributing to improvement in infant and maternal mortality rates (IMR and MMR).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the adoption of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene practices could prevent 1.4 million deaths and save 7.4 crore disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

Officials said the ongoing training of frontline workers aims to make them promoters of cleanliness and agents of life-saving behavioral change. Trainers stressed that practices such as washing hands at the right time are effective only when they become part of every family’s daily routine.

Deputy Director of UPTSU, Dr. Dinesh Singh, claimed that “68 percent of children die due to malnutrition, and lack of sanitation and safe environment is a major reason behind this. If we want to reduce MMR and IMR, it is extremely important to make hygiene behaviors a part of life.” He added that cleanliness should be understood as a holistic lifestyle that preserves the lives of mothers and children, and that such a lifestyle is achievable when hygiene becomes a social norm.

Speakers at the workshop also highlighted the importance of hygiene and safety during menstruation. They said that Anganwadi workers are being trained to communicate with adolescent girls about menstrual management and self-protection to mitigate risks that directly affect maternal and infant health.

Officials further claimed that the initiative reflects coordination between leadership and frontline workers to bridge sanitation gaps and strengthen community health systems. Cleanliness, they emphasized, has moved beyond being an informational message to becoming a collective mission aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of mothers and children.