Only 38 public toilets for Ctg residents

Although Chittagong city's population is reportedly about 60 lakh, there are only 38 public toilets available for its residents.

The number of lavatories is not only insufficient, but most of those are also unhygienic and in a decrepit condition. Moreover, they are not suitable for women, who despite necessity avoid those.

According to the Chittagong City Corporation sources, the number of public toilets was 43 about four to five years back. Some five have been kept shut for unavailability of lessees. As most of them are not at a convenient location, people do not use those and none show any  interest of leasing them, they added.

Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK), a non-government development organisation, conducted a survey on the city's public toilets on October last year, where some 12 were found sanitary, said Ujjal Shikdar, community development officer of DSK.

“The rest are unsanitary,” he said, adding, most of them are not conducive for women. Around four to five percent women on average use these toilets, he added.

Visiting seven public toilets in Bibirhat, Jamalkhan, Kazir Dewry, New Market, Station Road and Bahaddarhat areas on Thursday and yesterday, it was seen that the inside of the lavatories were damp and not properly cleaned; most of the doors were unhinged. Three out of six bathrooms in the Bahaddarhat Kitchen Market area, was shut due to their dilapidated condition. The overall condition of the place was also unhygienic.

When asked, Nizam, the caretaker, claimed that they clean the toilets regularly and blamed the users for making them dirty. He, however, said three of the toilets had remained shut for over two years.

Mohammad Mohin, caretaker of Kazir Dewry public toilet, claimed they too try to keep the lavatory clean. Though they had one toilet with a sign “for female use only”, but it was seen being frequently used by men.

Rabeka Jannat, a private job holder, said the condition of the public toilets was not suitable for women. “Even though some of the toilets are specifically for females, they are used by men. The authorities concerned should have separate and sanitary facilities for women,” she emphasised.

“While returning from work, I have to wait for a public transport. But it gets difficult whenever I have to wait for long and eventually have to use a restroom. Most of them are dirty and unusable,” said Aminul Ahsan Rimon, a resident of Sholoshahar Gate No 2.

Prof M Ali Ashraf, chairman of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Chittagong chapter, said, “The public toilets are of poor quality. Apart from increasing their standard, there should be separate facilities for women.” “We have a plan to make the toilets sanitary and useable under CCC's beautification programme, which is supposed to begin in the coming fiscal year,” said CCC Chief Executive Officer Kazi Mohammad Shafiul Alam.