Urgency Of Public Toilets

Britti Aryal

Access to safe, clean water and sanitation is globally recognised as essential for public health, Ensuring proper sanitation in the capital city by providing safe and accessible public toilets is very critical to keeping the public healthy and happy. However, the city lacks proper public restrooms which is a huge public health issue. It is very hard to find public toilets with proper sanitation and facilities in city areas. People have to end up at the nearest stores buying something to get access to the bathrooms. 

The problem with the unhygienic bathrooms is not new, the public has been struggling with this problem for a long time. That said, some important changes have also been made to improve the situation. One such change is the addition of some public bathrooms. But only a few are operational and most are in unusable conditions. There is still much to be done about public toilets in Kathmandu. Toilets lack basic supplies like soap and water which makes them unhygienic with a bad stench. Some toilets even don’t have proper lockable doors. 

People rarely think about public health until an outbreak of disease or crisis captures their attention. However, public restrooms without any sanitation standards have already become alarming for the spreading of diseases, degrading public health. Public toilets at the core city areas are in pathetically poor conditions which is not just affecting the public but also is creating a bad impression among the tourists. Many visitors refrain from using public toilets due to poor hygiene.

Failure to provide a properly facilitated bathroom in an area that receives visitors from around the world is quite shameful. It is inconvenient for everyone to use damp bathrooms which shows the urgency to add well-facilitated public bathrooms in such areas. The struggle to find an accessible bathroom is a major public health issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. It’s high time to think about how public restrooms can be made available and publicised in the city. 

 A proper public bathroom with at least facilities like changing stations, breastfeeding rooms, flush, soap dispenser, dustbins, and all-time running water is in urgent need. A public toilet offering privacy and safety with all required sanitation-related resources to ensure better cleanliness not only helps to maintain hygiene by proper disposal of urine and feces but also makes public mobility easier in city areas. The problem with toilets has been worrisome, especially for females and differently-abled people. Toilet planning with guidelines emphasising facilities for menstrual hygiene management will make public toilets more gender equitable. 

Public toilets should be made accessible to all groups of people without any barriers. The city must treat public bathroom access as an infrastructure problem. It deserves an immediate response. City-wide strategies with clear roles and responsibilities relating to proper maintenance of toilets will help address the shortage. The issues in public toilets range from designs, cleaning skills, and methods, for which norms and standards should be set with proper research. New policies promoting portable toilet models at suitable locations will also help solve the hurdle. A qualitative public bathroom infrastructure directly impacts individual, so public health and the concerned authorities must be serious to immediately solve this public health crisis.