On the occasion of World Toilet Day 19 November 2013, 11 pm, Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA) and WBB Trust Jointly organized a discussion meeting in POBA Office, Dhanmondi. Engineer Abdus Sobahar, Joint Secretary of Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA) and Ex-Additional Director General of Department of Environment spoke about the decent toilet, healthy life, greater human dignity and equality in the society which acts as the catalyst for development of the country. Similarly, General Secretary Syed Monwar Hossain, Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam National Advocacy Officer Maruf Rahman, Coordinator Morshed Atik and other different environment related activist spoke on the present status of the toilet of Dhaka city. Necessity of making progress to improve hygiene, change social norms, better manage human waste and waste-water systems in order to eliminate open-air defecation and problem of public toilet which ultimately perpetuate a vicious cycle of disease and entrenched poverty were the main issues of the program. Public toilets of every educational institution, markets, public & private organizations, heritage, bus & railway terminals, sensitive areas like hospitals, playgrounds, cinema hall, public hall, temporary market place, etc should be adequate as well as healthier. Public and private sector initiatives on public awareness campaign are crucially necessary to increase the use of public toilets through different media. In case of high density of population due to some occasions, to recover the public toilet problem, “Mobile Toilet” can be used as the alternative public toilet.

As per the report published by the World Bank on 2012, 56 % of the people enjoyed the benefits of sanitation in 2010. Within which 57 % were of urban areas and 55 % of rural areas. In 2012, the World Health Organization and UNICEF reported that there was 81 % sanitation coverage in the South Asia and Bangladesh is in the second position in well sanitation. Whereas, Sri-Lanka is in first position in sanitation coverage i.e, 96 %. Likewise, 43 % sanitation coverage in India, 54% in Pakistan, 45 % in Nepal. As a result, the child mortality rate under the age of 5yrs is also being decreased.

The Dhaka City Corporation has built 72 toilets all over the Dhaka city. But fairly, they are not functioning properly and some of them are not in good condition even and totally useless. Bad odor from the toilet, lack of water supply system to make the toilet clean are the environment related problem of available public toilets. But, as Dhaka city population is growing day by day, toileting in the public places by the people is increasing day by day. In Dhaka, there are approximately 10 lakh rickshaw drivers and each rickshaw drivers do toilet 5 times in average per day just outside in open spaces due to lack of public toilet. Besides rickshaw drivers, there are also many other strangers toileting in the open spaces like them. This is not the only reason that people do toilet in open spaces but also lack of public awareness and education, people do it. The new urban planning in Dhaka is including all concern matters very specifically that where will be the toilet, school, park, road, building, etc. Let’s hope this urban planning will help to solve the problem of lackness of public toilet in Dhaka capital soon in the future.

Moreover, the survey was done by POBA’s at Azimpur which turn out as public toilet area, Metaraniti hospital, Dhanmondi Lake toilet, airport railway station, airport public toilet, Department of Economics public college, Department of Mathematics and other government College’s toilets.

Recommendations:

• Need of policies related to sanitation
• Need of electricity arrangement especially in women, child and handicapped people’s toilet for their safety.
• Need of extra better toilet and need of regular monitoring on it for its proper functioning
• Providing mobile toilet in temporary markets, stadiums and other highly dense population areas occasionally.
• Family education and awareness on using public toilet should be given the children so that in near future this problem will be minimized in some extend.