Bengaluru is home to over 803 public toilets according to data released by the Solid Waste Management department in August 2023. This is woefully inadequate, considering the city's population was over 84 lakh according to the 2011 census.
Published Oct 27, 2024 | 4:00 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 30, 2024 | 12:42 PM
Public toilet in KR Market
Public toilets are a vital part of urban infrastructure. For many in Bengaluru, from street vendors to gig workers, access to clean and safe toilets isn’t just a convenience — it’s a necessity.
Take for instance the lives of Laxmi and Zakeer in Devarachikkanahalli. While Zakeer uses a nearby liquor shop’s washroom, Laxmi refrains from eating or drinking through the day till she reaches home.
Zakeer has a roadside stall where he sells fish while Laxmi also has a roadside stall selling pork.
Every day, thousands of individuals like them rely on public toilets. But using these facilities can be a daunting experience for many.
In 2014, India launched the Swachh Bharat Mission, a nationwide effort to eliminate open defecation and improve sanitation.
Urban sanitation, particularly public toilets, is in glaringly short supply in cities like Bengaluru, with growing need for them.
Bengaluru is home to over 803 public toilets according to data released by the Solid Waste Management department in August 2023. This is woefully inadequate, considering the city’s population was over 84 lakh according to the 2011 census. Additionally, Bengaluru’s population increases by nearly 3 percent each year.
From inadequate maintenance to the complete shutdown of 229 e-toilets by December 2022, the situation demands urgent attention. The electronic toilets, using sensor-based technology, were meant to be low-maintenance, self-flushing, unisex, and unmanned.
E-toilets were installed as part of the Swachch Bharat Mission in 2014, and each cost over ₹5 lakh. By 2022, however, most of these had no power and no water, and maintenance contracts with the private firm were not renewed. Several e-toilets were used as storerooms. Users complained that they sometimes got locked inside.
In response to public concerns, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) laid out plans to construct 356 new toilets, including 100 ‘she-toilets’ designed to address the needs of women in congested areas.
This initiative comes after the High Court of Karnataka’s 2023 ruling calling for better maintenance and a comprehensive plan for sanitation infrastructure.
Public toilets today must cater to the needs of everyone — women, men, transgender people, the elderly, and those with disabilities.
An investigation was conducted by the Centre for Disability Justice and Inclusion (CDJI) and Centre for Gender Studies (CGS), research centres established at the School of Law, RV University, Bengaluru. They looked at 65 public toilets in Bengaluru and observed a clear divide.
Meghna Sharma, Assistant Professor at the School of Law, RV University, and one of the authors of the study titled Flushed Out: Unravelling the Labyrinth of Public Toilets in Bengaluru tells South First that the research primarily focuses on the condition of public toilets. Researchers looked at more than cleanliness.
“We wanted to see how public toilets are designed; whether the toilets are designed to encourage use by the public. We have covered maintenance issues, design features, proper route maps, how accessible it is for people with disabilities and whether the toilets can be used easily by transgenders,” Prof Sharma says.
To assess the availability, quality, and accessibility of public toilets in Bengaluru, the team conducted field investigations over one month. The findings are a result of ethnographic observations made during these investigations.
In total, the team investigated 65 toilets in different public spaces: Public parks, metro stations, bus stations, marketplaces, railway stations, and tourist places.
The Matrix of Standards used in the research included availability, ease of access, ease of usage, safety, and inclusivity.
According to the research, some toilets are in bad condition, particularly in railway stations and bus stands, while others located in markets or parks fare slightly better. The quality and accessibility of toilets vary greatly across the city’s zones, with South Bengaluru having the most accessible toilets. Areas like Yelahanka and Dasarahalli remain underserved.
A few students who were part of the research tell South First about their experience in the field.
Rafa Khan, a B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) 2nd year/third-semester student recounts the first toilet the team checked out at Lalbagh West gate.
“It did have a board that sanitary napkins were available but when we enquired, there were no napkins. We had to ask a male staffer, and he would get one on being asked – it is not likely that a woman would go to a male staff member asking for a sanitary napkin,” she says.
Another student, Sandhyashree Karanth, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) 2nd year/third semester, says that out of 65 toilets that were identified for the study, only two had separate toilets for transgenders.
“We found two toilets, one in Shivajinagar bus stand and another in KR Market that had transgender toilets, with proper signage,” she says.
She questioned why women have to pay more to use public toilets. “Females have to pay double the amount of what men pay. While women need the facilities more than men, nothing is provided, and yet we have to pay more. It is ₹5 for men and ₹10 for women,” she said.
South First checked public toilets at Church Street and Commercial Street.
Despite the large number of people who come to Church Street daily and the number of vendors present, there is no public toilet. Even the popular Brigade Road has none.
Inam Khan, a vendor on Church Streets tells South First that he regularly directs his customers to nearby cafes or a mall when they ask to use a washroom. “The public when they come to my shop ask for a washroom. I send them to my friend’s shop. I request the government to set up public toilets here.”
Women face the biggest brunt as explained by Archana Priyadarshini who frequently visits Church Street.
“If you have your period and you need to change, if there is no public toilet nearby, it is going to be very uncomfortable. Even for pregnant women who need to use toilets so many times, it is difficult. A lot of women today are suffering from urinary tract infections because of the unhygienic toilets everywhere.”
The only available public toilet is near the MG Road Metro entrance, and not many people know of its existence. With no signboards to direct people there, it is sparsely utilised.
One of the oldest and busiest shopping areas of the city, Commercial Street is frequented by lakhs of people daily. A woman says that she has to be careful with drinking water before she goes shopping and rushes home soon to use the loo.
Raj Yadav, originally from Haryana, has been living in Bengaluru since 2007. He says, “There is no public loo on Commercial Street. No signage, nothing. We have to go back home in a hurry. I am requesting the government to set up a few here so we can easily come here to shop and not rush back home.”
There is one public toilet near Commercial Street but with no signboards. And if you are at the opposite end of the road, it would be a good walk before you could relieve yourself. Shoppers are forced to head to malls to use the washroom.
Prof. Sharma also spoke about why despite public toilets available at certain places, women do not use them.
“Certain toilets are located in very isolated areas. Even if a woman can locate it, she will not use it. Sometimes, lighting concerns in the evening also matter. Some are situated very close to male toilets and there is no privacy,” she says, adding, “Locks were available outside the toilet which do not serve any utility but which can cause a safety hazard.”
She cites the example of a toilet near KSR Railway Station where a group of men were hanging out in the women’s toilet and most of the staff members were male.
Public toilets are not just about sanitation — they represent civic planning to offer dignity, equity, and inclusion to citizens. As Bengaluru grows, so must its public infrastructure.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas).
