Environmental Identities and Sustainable Development: Using Q-Methodology to Identify Narratives of Sanitation in India

Good sanitation is crucial to sustainable development because of public health and ecological implications. Despite well-established health benefits and education programmes, a continued preference for open defaecation (“OD”) persists in India. We argue that sanitation behaviour should be conceived as being part of a larger environmental identity with implications on policymaking. This is tested in Andhra Pradesh (“AP”) where despite large investments, latrines have low take-up rates. Our survey of 300 villagers reveals that most latrine users and non-habitual latrine users are highly satisfied with their experience of using latrines, while the majority of non-users are highly dissatisfied with OD. At the same time, we find little or no resource impediment to the use of latrines. To explain this puzzle, we investigated the narratives of sanitation and found two narratives. The first describes a “technology society” with discourses on health, modernity and infrastructure. The second describes a “green society” with discourses on traditional habits, closeness with nature and practicality. Understanding these competing worldviews of the environment provides policymakers with a good premise for motivating latrine use. Prima facie, our understanding provides a useful counter to the popular “walk of shame” policy advocated by some versions of Community Led Total Sanitation (“CLTS”).