Mumbai: Lack of space, insensitive mgmt fail public hygiene

Has Mumbai sustained the tag of Open Defecation Free (ODF) city given to it? DNA, in its three-day-long reportage covered Mumbai's busiest areas including the Western Express Highway, the Harbour Line, Eastern Express Highway and found the city hasn't been able to live up to the tag.

After highlighting the issues of overused, dirty and locked toilets across city, continuing the sustained campaign on Mumbai's toilet tale, in its fourth installment, DNA has found how public toilets, despite an official announcement by the BMC to remain open 24/7, are found shut. It also came to light as to how paucity of land has led to a shortage of toilets. DNA also found out what plans are in store to reclaim the ODF tag.

According to a BMC official, there isn't much land available to construct more toilets. "There is a proposal to build over 22,000 toilets in the city and the work is underway. However, finding land where proper sanitation could be worked out is the prime challenge authorities face."

When DNA asked the official about the poorly-maintained toilets across the city, the official refused to comment. Mumbaikars struggle daily due to a lack of hygienic and stench-free toilets. While lakhs of commuters are forced to hold back, many succumb to the increasing pressure and relieve themselves in public.

There are mainly three types of public toilets. The first category is of the pay-and-use public toilets which are built by the BMC; second, free-to-use public toilets built by the Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority (MHADA). And last, community toilets that are either built through MLA funds or by the BMC for slum dwellers. While the onus of the maintenance of public toilets lies on private agencies, the entire work is monitored by BMC. Whereas toilets built by MHADA are maintained by MHADA itself.

When DNA apprised Kiran Dighavkar, nodal officer of Swachh Bharat Mission Cell in BMC, about the poorly maintained public toilets and how they are unfit for women and people with disabilities, Dighavkar agreed with the ground report conducted by DNA. Speaking to the newspaper, Dighavkar said, "There is no denying the fact that the public toilets are in extremely bad shape. We are trying to solve the problem and come up with a sustainable solution."

He further said, "The problem lies with the operator to whom the charge of maintaining the said toilet is given. Private operators who are responsible for maintaining it have failed to do so". When asked about the total number of pay-and-use toilets present in the city, he said, "There are a total of 450 pay-and-use toilets in the city. Whereas the city has 900 community toilets (constructed in slums)." According to Dighavkar, to combat the problem, the BMC arranges meetings with the operators once-a-month to educate them about the importance of hygiene."

When quizzed about the sustainability of these toilets, he said that there is a plan to revamp old toilets. "We are planning to urge people to come forward and help build and maintain public toilets like we have in Marine Drive and Gateway of India. They were a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR)."

Dighavkar also added that for the past two years, not a single pay-and-use public toilet has been constructed owing to reasons such as land issues, geographical problems, and improper sanitation. However, civic authorities have chalked out a plan and plans to construct more public toilets.