Sanitation wellbeing in Tha khlong (Thailand)

The development and achievement of the sustainable development goal (SDG) 6 are driven by the aim to secure access to sanitation and water services for everyone. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has defined well-being indicators regarding sanitation, as the presence of toilet/bathroom inside the house and being shared among a family. Drawing on Sen’s framework on capability approach, this research focused on people’s everyday life routines, their possibilities, and decisions made around sanitation in Tha khlong, Thailand. It also studied what sanitation entails for two different groups of people along the sanitation chain: users and emptiers. The aim was to provide an understanding of what ‘sanitation wellbeing’ entailed for users and emptiers in Tha khlong. The everyday life of these two focus groups in terms of access to infrastructure, cleanliness, maintenance, decision making and preferences (in terms of sanitation), was documented through interviews, observation and focus group discussions. This study indicated that the level of well-being in the community was determined by the opportunities and freedom of choice with respect to sanitation. Sanitation and well-being both are relative terms and are interconnected. The interconnection of decision-making processes and power relations played an immense role in the type of sanitation infrastructure used. Anxiety, odour, privacy, safety, health and comfort were directly related to sanitation and well-being, however residence insecurities led people to be more constrained than the absence of proper sanitation.