Despite ‘World Toilet Day’ being observed on Tuesday across the world, open defecation continues in many parts of the State due to lack of access to toilets. United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has declared November 19 as ‘World Toilet Day’ with an aim to highlight the importance of sanitation. As per a report published by UNICEF, the sanitation coverage in Odisha has progressed at the rate of 0.6 per cent per year from 1991 to 2011. The Capital city is in need of urgent intervention as people living in the slum areas defecate in the open. About 10 per cent of the population in Salia Sahi slum defecate in open due to lack of toilets. Ward corporator Premananda Jena said that out of the two lakh people living in the slum, about 20,000 people do not have access to toilet facilities. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has constructed two public toilets in the slum, but it falls short to meet the demands. Similar condition prevails in Kargil Basti. The public toilet project conceptualised two years back, has not taken off yet. A majority of the slums which were included under Rajiv Awas Yojana earlier this year also lack toilet facilities. According to UNICEF, only 15 per cent of the households in the State have access to improved sanitation. UNICEF’s Nirmal Odisha Abhiyan (NOA) aims to eliminate open defecation in the State by 2022.