25 public urinals for women in Mumbai: 'Right to pee' activists demand

In its strategy meeting on Saturday, the group decided to ensure that the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) implements the construction of 25 public urinals for women by December 2013.

The Right to Pee network was launched when 35 NGOs came together on May 3, 2011, to voice women’s right to clean, safe and free public urinals in Mumbai.

Their idea being that "in a city which has 57,41,632 women there are no public urinals for them and even the number of toilets is far less in comparison to men".

From the beginning of the campaign, the network has been creating awareness about the health problems that result from lack of urinals and inadequate number of toilets.

Some examples they have given are saturation of urine and urinary tract infections caused by long hours of wait before relieving the bladder or reduced water consumption to ward off the urge to pee.

This was a follow up to an MCGM order notified to the department on January 24, 2013, that earmaked Rs75 lakh for construction of public urinals and toilets for women in the city’s crowded places. The allocation is for the period 2013-14. 

It also asked the departments to submit a plan in 15 days, mentioning places for their construction and organisations that can carry out the necessary work. 

Even after 5 months, no proposal has been submitted by the MCGM. As a result of the campaign, Special Duty Officer of MCGM, Subhash Dalvi, said at the meeting, “BMC is supportive of the campaign and plans to construct 25 new urinals and toilets for women.” 

However, the group feels that except for the announcement, nothing has been firmly decided in terms of identifying locations and implementing urinals as nothing has been given in writing.

Dalvi added, “Permanent structures can be created in some locations, but temporary ones will be required in others. While it is possible to give contracts for maintenance of permanent ones, how will we do it for temporary ones if urinals have to be free to the public? We are still trying to find a solution for it.”

But the Right to Pee network plans to ensure that the promise of 25 new urinals and toilets is kept. Economist and professor, Vibhuti Patel said,“ Our team will map and propose locations for construction of these urinals and we want to ensure that all 25 are built by December 2013.”

The meeting was held at Marathi Patrakar Sangh. Besides Vibhuti Patel other speakers included Researcher on Urban and Women’s issues Sulakshana Mahajan, Associate Professor of KEM Dr. Kamakshi Bhate and education and social activist, Farida Lambay. They are also playing advisory roles to give the campaign strength, structure and direction.

In the coming days, the Network also plans to collect information on alternative and innovative types of urinal and toilet across the world and choose a model for the city that ensures economy, eco-friendliness and sustainability. Additionally, they will come up with practical solutions for areas in the city that need urinals and toilets but don't have enough space.