Public toilets at fingertips

WaterAid Bangladesh yesterday launched a smartphone app that will locate public toilets across Dhaka and four major highways, for convenience of cititzens and holidaymakers going home for Eid-ul-Azha.

The app, titled 'Public Toilet Bangladesh' is available on the Google PlayStore and will provide toilet locations based on users' GPS location or through direct searches, said a press release.

The four highways are: Dhaka-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar-Teknaf, Dhaka-Sylhet-Jaflong, Dhaka-Bogra-Banglabandha and Dhaka-Aricha-Khulna-Mongla.

The app also offers information on features and facilities of the toilets, such as whether a toilet has separate chambers for men and women, whether it has disable-friendly access, or is a paid facility, the press release added.

Moreover, there is a review system where anyone can rank the toilets based on their services. Besides, anyone around the country can add unlisted toilets so that others can find and review them while helping to develop a countrywide map.

WaterAid Bangladesh has been working with city corporations and local authorities to renovate and build public toilets in Dhaka city and beyond (Sylhet, Khulna, and Chittagong) for over five years now, and has supported the development of this app to make public sanitation readily available and accessible to all.