State of public toilets mirrors a city

Kesh B Malla
THT, 31/07/08

The fate of Nepalis is such that they cannot afford to meet even the most basic necessities of daily life. Defecation is one such essential which has become a bugbear for Kathmandu residents if nature calls them at the inopportune moments. Despite proudly declaring itself as the capital of the country, Kathmandu has not been able to provide this basic service to its denizens. The simple reason: Kathmandu has barely 50 public toilets for approximately 3 million people.

The 50-something public toilets, mostly run by municipalities in the Valley, are in a deplorable state with filth all around, sans water and flushing systems. One cannot comfortably relieve oneself in these sinkholes. The toilets in most government offices including hospitals and colleges are in a similar condition; even the big and modern-looking buildings lack proper toilet facilities. For example, Nepal Telcom office at Jawalakhel and brand-new Kathmandu Mall have very poor toilet systems, belying their modern outlook.

Municipalities as well as the local public should be held responsible for the paucity and maintenance of public toilets. The public has not been able to exert pressure on the municipalities due to the lack of awareness about health and hygiene; while the municipalities lack the will to carry out all its duties. Interestingly, some staff at municipality office believe that there are enough public toilets in the city and criticise the passers-by for not making the right use of the available ones. They believe that lack of awareness among the public on sanitation and high admission fees are major reasons for people not using public toilets, leading them to make empty plots and street corners filthy.

Further, with Kathmandu's unplanned urbanisation, the metropolitan authority has a ready-made excuse: lack of space in the busiest corners is hampering the construction of toilet buildings. On a positive side, public toilets directly run by Kathmandu Metropolitan City are in a relatively good shape, but again, they are very few around. KMC has plans to build some mobile public toilets at busiest junctions, keeping in view the lack of space for toilet building. But it is yet to be seen whether the promise is ever realised.

Often deemed the reflection of civility of any city, public toilet system may also contribute a lot towards creating a pleasant environment and ensuring sound public health. For that to happen, the major stakeholders in the society need to do their bit. Among them, the business community, as part of its social obligation, should play the important role of coordinating with the municipalities and NGOs in various areas to open toilet facilities. The municipalities, for their part, need to craft a new role for themselves in new Nepal. Similarly, local communities can function as pressure groups through their proactive actions; and the passers-by make best use of the available services.