Survey raises a stink on Bengaluru's public toilets

Civic nonprofit Janaagraha’s recent survey on public toilets in Bengaluru has concluded that privately-maintained toilets are in a better condition than those looked after by the BBMP administration.

On a scale of 10, private toilets have scored an average 7.4 whereas the BBMP-maintained toilets have scored 5.9 on parameters such as availability for use, separate units for men and women, cleanliness, running water, lighting, and functioning flushes.

Of the 473 public toilet complexes in Bengaluru, which is far less than the requirement according to Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)
guidelines, 150 toilet complexes are maintained by the BBMP while 75 are privatelyrun. There is no clear information about the maintenance agency for the remaining 246 toilets, Janaagraha data show.

An analysis of the survey report shows how public toilets figure least on the priority list of the BBMP administration. Going
by SBM guidelines, the city falls short of 1,100 public toilet complexes. In fact, the BBMP does not have a model on how a public toilet should be, nor is it working on one. Each project built by BBMP is different.

An official in the engineering division said the city corporation has no standard model. “Sometimes we construct and give it to
private agencies for maintenance.

Some toilets are constructed and maintained by private parties and many toilets are constructed as well as maintained by BBMP. The decision is taken based on feasibility at the time of planning,” the officer who did not wish
to be named said. Sulabh and Nirmala toilets, on the other hand, have their own unique designs wihch people can identify by looks instantly.

When the city corporation halfheartedly manages public toilets, is private participation the only way ahead? Nonprofit CIVIC’s
executive trustee Kathyayani Chamaraj thinks so. Her organisation has been arguing in favour of private maintenance of toilets and had even urged the BBMP to let private agencies step in.

“Back then, we had suggested that the BBMP give advertising rights in toilet complexes as compensation for maintaining toilets.

This will benefit citizens as well, as what they expect in a public toilet is cleanliness,” she said.

Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, said that the private sector and nonprofits manage toilets better than government
agencies because of accountability factor. “Government is not answerable to anybody unlike private agencies,” he noted.

Asked if the higher user fee that the privately maintained toilets collect is the chief reason for their better maintenance, Pathak
favoured clean toilets based on user fee than lousy toilets that come free.

“Fee is necessary for maintenance but private agencies should not see it as a revenue generation business,” he said.