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Comment by nirav72 | Hacker News Reader

They probably didn't want the world to see people openly defecating on the streets.

Ironically, day to day I see more people openly defecating on the streets of downtown San Francisco than I saw when I lived in Mumbai. That said, this says more about SF than India(where open defecation is indeed rampant.)

Does no one else remember the Take The Poo to the Loo video UNICEF produced to target this problem in India? It seems like if they have to go that far, it's a major problem. https://youtu.be/_peUxE_BKcU

This video is a colossal waste of money by UNICEF.

Reasons?

1. Most people in India who defecate in the open don't understand English. A lot of them probably don't have a television, or a permanent home for that matter. Homelessness in India is a real problem that receives zero attention from, well, everybody. Tens of thousands of people have migrated from the rural areas to cities in search of homes, and end up living in shacks with no running water or proper plumbing.

2. The open defecation is a direct holdover from cultural aspects several hundred years old (defecate far away from your home, who wants that shit in here?) that have an uneasy coexistence with modern western-style toilets that are located inside one's home. This subject has to be broached with careful scientific explanations and benefit analyses, not a ham-fisted cartoon that treats people like idiots saying "Hey there is poo everywhere! Take it to the loo!"

> A lot of them probably don't have a television

They can still watch it on their mobile.

Google was planning on to get major cities and tourist attractions on street view and open defecation doesn't happen there. How about not commenting dumb things here?

Edit: To add, Indian govt is working to get all villages in India better santization facilities.

I'm Indian and know very well that open defecation is still common in the major cities. Stop putting a spin on it and admit it that we have a problem.

I just spent 2 months in a major 2nd-tier Indian city, going out almost daily. Didn't see someone defecating openly even once. Take it FWIW.

Where the hell are you going to openly defecate in major cities with all the traffic?

Near the train tracks, there are usually couple of tracks which are not used by trains.

There are many areas in Mumbai where traffic is less specially in the early morning. So you can do it on the road.

Just below the water line at the beach, unfortunately.

Then you and I have a different view about what all major cities are! There's no shying away from the problem if there's one and as i said, it's common in the country side.

Not sure what your definition of major cities is. But I've seen it often enough in Delhi suburbs, Mumbai and Kolkata. Not even going to start on towns and cities in UP, Bihar and Gujarat (my home state). About the only place I haven't seen it is towns in the North-East.

> But I've seen it often enough in Delhi suburbs

That's not city and Google doesn't plan to go beyond the major parts of the city for now.

That is bullshit. It is very common in major cities. Unless you consider Mumbai country side, take a train ride through the city.

My comment above is being downvoted crazily and wanted to tell that I'm quite surprised and disappointed to see so many people think that the petty reason mentioned above is the actual one to ban Google street view. SMH.

It's not as common as some people think but I have seen it occur in Victoria Park in Bangalore.

It's more common than some people think in America I have seen it occur near a park in San Francisco.

Ditto the side of our old condo in Philadelphia.

Edit: goddam shame. I for one know having to go isn't always a "when it's convenient" situation, and people not having access to facilities is terrible.

Hell, I saw a woman doing it behind a rock in Central Park a few weeks ago near the bird sanctuary while her friend kept watch.

To my knowledge, that's almost exclusively a San Franciscism.

>Indian govt is working to get all villages better sanitation facilities.

Exactly. The privileged here don't understand that this is being actively worked on in India. We will be a superpower within the next 10 years and will be defecating in the loo well before then.

Having a working toilet doesn't make you more valuable Americans.

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