Ahead of Women's Day, Delhiites rue lack of public loos

For 35-year-old Surili Singh, who is diabetic, making rounds of popular shopping complexes in Delhi is a nightmare as there are hardly any public toilets for women.

Talking about her ordeal, the resident of east Delhi's Mayur Vihar area says: "It's not just shopping complexes such as Lajpat Nagar, Janpath or Sarojini Nagar markets. The situation is similarly difficult for women throughout the Capital, and, in fact, across the country. Being a diabetes patient, it is sometimes impossible for me to control my bladder."

"A few toilets that Delhi has are so poorly maintained and unhygienic that one does not feel like using them," she adds.

Thousands of women in the Capital face this problem on a daily basis. "With no public toilets for women in market areas and along long stretches of road, we avoid liquid intake for hours, which can adversely affect our health, especially during summers," says Vanita Sharma, a 21-year-old student of Delhi University (DU).

"This is so unfortunate that women in the national Capital are still struggling for basic and unavoidable necessities," says Kalpana Vishwanath of Jagori, a women's organisation.

She adds: "Men can often be seen relieving themselves on roadsides in Delhi. For women travelling long distances, especially through rural Delhi, every step is a nightmare. More well-lit and well-maintained public toilets women is the need of the hour."

According to a recent study conducted by the Centre for Advocacy and Research in Delhi, in the absence of a toilet at home, 33 per cent of the total households depend on community toilets, while eight per cent opt for open defecation.

"Women are especially affected as several incidents of eve-teasing, and molestation have been reported at community toilets, raising concerns about the safety and security of young girls, women, and children," the study stated.

"We cannot use the community toilet after 7-8 pm because men take over after that," says Shanno, a resident of east Delhi's Kalyanpuri area.

The issue of shortage of public toilets for women in the Capital was also highlighted in the Delhi High Court in 2016, following which the court had sought replies from the three Delhi Municipal Corporations.

The public interest litigation submitted in the HC stated that "out of the existing public toilets across Delhi, only about 5 per cent were meant for women."

The civic bodies, however, claimed that more and more public toilets for women were being constructed across the city. "We have recently built 14 digitalised toilet complexes in central Delhi, with the facility of sanitary pad dispensers," a senior New Delhi Municipal Council official said.

Similarly Mukesh Yadav, spokesperson South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), said: "Now these problems will be a thing of the past as the SDMC has recently constructed 146 new toilet complexes and 200 more complexes are under construction."