Mumbai public toilets: Sanitation problems, gender disparity and more

Mumbai: Today is World Toilet Day, but Mumbai – a city of commuters with lakhs of people on roads every day –has just 25% public toilets for women. The rest are meant for men and only 4% for specially-abled citizens. As per a survey conducted by non-profit Praja Foundation, the metro sorely lacks toilet infrastructure and facilities. 

To raise awareness about people living without access to hygiene infrastructure, and also to tackle the global sanitation crisis, Praja’s #FactCheck #Mumbai was released on Friday. The survey on toilets is titled ‘Do Mumbaikars have enough toilets/public/community toilets’.

Gender disparity and sanitation issues

The survey highlights the city’s sanitation issues and gender disparity in available toilet seats. The data shows that only one in four public toilets was for women in 2020. Praja CEO Milind Mhaske said, “India launched Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 and on October 2, 2019, the country declared it was Open Defecation Free. However, in 2020 there was only one public toilet seat for every 752 men, and 1,820 women in Mumbai, while the mission recommends one toilet for every 100 to 400 men, and 100 to 200 women.”

Moreover, 42% of total households in Mumbai do not have access to toilets and a majority of them (94.8%), use public or community toilets.
The BMC survey conducted in 2015 – Facilities in Toilets – revealed  that 58% toilets had no electricity and 72% were not connected to a sewerage line. In 78% of toilets, there was no proper water connection. 

Praja claims to have also analysed the trend of toilet complaints registered in BMC’s Central Complaint Registration System since 2012 and found out that complaints related to toilets have increased by 230% in ten years – 148 in 2012 and 489 in 2021.

“To make public toilets more accessible, all sanitation facilities need to be improved. This includes better infrastructure, cleanliness, hygiene, and safety. The BMC should conduct surveys, such as the one in 2015, at regular intervals to collate data on the progress of civic issues, complaints and their redressal,” said Nitai Mehta, the founder and managing trustee of Praja Foundation.