If only 1 out of every 3 public toilet seats is for women in Mumbai, this needs to be changed now.
Local trains are the heartbeat of Mumbai. But for Mumbaikars who rely on using public transport it comes at a cost – the cost of not being able to use the toilet for long hours.
In a survey from 2021 it was found that 90 percent of women avoid public restrooms. This is either due to concerns of cleanliness or of privacy. [1] Their unwillingness to use toilets comes from the fact that most toilets are overused because there are not enough toilets. Think about this: how many times did you need to use the toilet at a local station but just came out feeling disgusted or horrified at the conditions of the toilet seat, hand wash area, or the dustbin?
The toilets are not only unsanitary and in an appalling condition but are also unsafe. In February 2018, a portion of a toilet block collapsed in Mankhurd killing three people. [2] While this incident caused due to neglect in public services prompted a structural audit of public toilets, many toilets are still crumbling old infrastructures.
This prompted the civic body to conduct a structural audit of public toilet blocks under BMC in all the 24 wards. The civic body then chalked out a plan to pull down old toilets and re-build them with new designs to prevent mishaps. However, many toilets await repair/ rebuilding as claimed by the civic body.
Some of us have the privilege of waiting until we reach our destination to use the toilet. But this is not the case for everyone. For street vendors, small shops’ workers, and poor people, these toilets are the only ones they have access to.
Then, a daily commuter, Gayatri More and many others like us are correct to wonder “They charge each user Rs 5 but the conditions here are the worst.” [3] This is the condition of the majority of BMC installed toilets in our city. But why is this the case?
When Rs 323 crore of taxpayer money is allotted to build public toilets, each and every Mumbaikar should have access to clean and free toilets. [4] If public sanitation services remain inaccessible, the city of dreams remains unhygienic and dreadful to all its citizens.
If only 1 out of every 3 public toilet seats is for women in Mumbai, this needs to be changed now. [5]
Join us in demanding BMC to:
- Make its current toilets functional.
- Demolish and rebuild toilets that were found to be unsafe during the structural audit.
- Build more toilets for women, trans persons and persons with disabilities through the annual budget allocation for public toilets.
- Provide a timeline for the completion of the aforementioned demands.
Sources :
[1]90% Of Indian Women Afraid Of Using Public Washrooms: Survey - Business World
[2]Mumbai: Opposition waters down BMC's new Rs 323 cr lava(s)tory - Free Press Journal
[3]Looking for a clean public toilet in Mumbai - Indian Express
[4]Money allocated, plans made and yet public toilets are not built in Mumbai. Here’s why. - Citizen Matters
If only 1 out of every 3 public toilet seats is for women in Mumbai, this needs to be changed now.
Local trains are the heartbeat of Mumbai. But for Mumbaikars who rely on using public transport it comes at a cost – the cost of not being able to use the toilet for long hours.
In a survey from 2021 it was found that 90 percent of women avoid public restrooms. This is either due to concerns of cleanliness or of privacy. [1] Their unwillingness to use toilets comes from the fact that most toilets are overused because there are not enough toilets. Think about this: how many times did you need to use the toilet at a local station but just came out feeling disgusted or horrified at the conditions of the toilet seat, hand wash area, or the dustbin?
The toilets are not only unsanitary and in an appalling condition but are also unsafe. In February 2018, a portion of a toilet block collapsed in Mankhurd killing three people. [2] While this incident caused due to neglect in public services prompted a structural audit of public toilets, many toilets are still crumbling old infrastructures.
This prompted the civic body to conduct a structural audit of public toilet blocks under BMC in all the 24 wards. The civic body then chalked out a plan to pull down old toilets and re-build them with new designs to prevent mishaps. However, many toilets await repair/ rebuilding as claimed by the civic body.
Some of us have the privilege of waiting until we reach our destination to use the toilet. But this is not the case for everyone. For street vendors, small shops’ workers, and poor people, these toilets are the only ones they have access to.
Then, a daily commuter, Gayatri More and many others like us are correct to wonder “They charge each user Rs 5 but the conditions here are the worst.” [3] This is the condition of the majority of BMC installed toilets in our city. But why is this the case?
When Rs 323 crore of taxpayer money is allotted to build public toilets, each and every Mumbaikar should have access to clean and free toilets. [4] If public sanitation services remain inaccessible, the city of dreams remains unhygienic and dreadful to all its citizens.
If only 1 out of every 3 public toilet seats is for women in Mumbai, this needs to be changed now. [5]
Join us in demanding BMC to:
- Make its current toilets functional.
- Demolish and rebuild toilets that were found to be unsafe during the structural audit.
- Build more toilets for women, trans persons and persons with disabilities through the annual budget allocation for public toilets.
- Provide a timeline for the completion of the aforementioned demands.
Sources :
[1]90% Of Indian Women Afraid Of Using Public Washrooms: Survey - Business World
[2]Mumbai: Opposition waters down BMC's new Rs 323 cr lava(s)tory - Free Press Journal
[3]Looking for a clean public toilet in Mumbai - Indian Express
[4]Money allocated, plans made and yet public toilets are not built in Mumbai. Here’s why. - Citizen Matters