The studies of spatial inequalities in access to sanitation and the consequences of this for human, environmental, and economic health, and of spatial and temporal differences in cultural attitudes towards excrement. Sanitation continues to be largely neglected in many developing countries, and government-backed sanitation initiatives, where they exist, often prioritize flush and discharge systems over low-cost or community-based alternatives. In 2012, the Census Commissioner of India reported that about 600 million Indians practise open-air defecation.

http://www.wsp.org/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/WSP-esi-india.pdf Online version of ‘Economic Impacts of Inadequate Sanitation in India’.