Only one public toilet for 25,000 Bengalureans!

Vasudha Zora | NT

Bengaluru: The Swachh Bharat Mission initiated in 2019 by Narendra Modi Gover nment had aimed to improve cleanliness in the cities and villages, and make the country free of open defecation. The mission also focussed on providing toilet access to women to ensure their safety.

However, in a survey conducted by NGO Janaagraha in 2021, projects that for a population of 1.2 crore, the city provides an access of one public toilet per 25,000 citizens, but Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) website showed a total of 478 public toilets in 2021, out of which many were not operational.

The survey covered 53 public toilets, out of which 43 were located within the city and 11 on the outskirts. The survey also studied the infrastructure of these toilets, including maintenance, hygiene, plumbing, lighting, garbage disposal and waste management.

It was found that 74 percent toilets were open to public, 45 percent of them were free of garbage, 68 percent had access to running water in basins and flush, 58 percent toilets had proper lighting, 57 percent toilets had signages or nameboards while 34 percent toilets had clean dry floor. But a whopping 74 percent had water leakage issues.

However, as per BBMP survey, which was conducted roughly three months ago, states that 418 public toilets in major areas are operational, with some minor constraints, and they were being looked into. BBMP said they have issued tenders to contractors to maintain sanitation, plumbing, water flow and civil maintenance of public toilets.

According to BBMP Assistant Engineer Shiv Kumar, “Once the tenders aiming at maintenance have been cleared, which take close to three months, we will begin the repair work. As per the Swachh Survekshan survey, BBMP will be building 600 new toilets and to curb the shortage we plan to make mobile toilets alongside some of the modern amenities.”

He also talked about extending facilities to the third gender. “As of now there are no gender neutral toilets, but we will be constructing five public toilets for them.” He claimed that among the current operational public toilets, 50 percent are equipped with facilities concerning specially-abled people.

The urinal services are offered free of cost, while bathing facilities are provided at Rs 5 per person. The water and other maintenance services are taken care of by agencies hired through tenders. He also assured News Trail that proper cleaning protocols are being followed at all the public toilets.

The sanctioned fund for the remodelling, building and smooth running of these public toilets is Rs 40 crore and work is expected to start in the next six months.