By: Jenee Rai

Shital Rai, a Bachelors’ Level student, was walking near the Old Bus Park beside Tundikhel when she had to answer the nature’s call. But when she reached the sole public toilet near the City Market inside the bus park premises, she nearly suffocated on the fetid smell. Her only option was to enter a restaurant where she had to pay Rs. 30 for a cup of coffee – and a chance to relieve herself.

“The caretakers charge Rs. 3 per person, but they hardly ever clean the toilet and its surroundings. Are the concerned authorities sleeping?” asks Rai. There are 36 public restrooms to cater to Kathmandu district’s over 2.5 million-strong population. A recent study by Environment and Public Health Organization (ENPHO) shows that 45-140 males and 12-30 females use a public latrine in a day. But 18 percent of these latrines have no water supply, 65 percent have no hand-washing facility, while 10 percent are cleaned just once a day. Most of them have no proper ventilation and lack special provisions for the disabled and children.
These restrooms are managed both privately and by the municipality. But no one monitors these toilets. Ram Gurung, caretaker of a toilet under Sky Bridge near Sundhara said, “We have been facing water shortage and pipe blockage since three months. But no one has come to attend to the problems.” Blaming the public, Gurung complained of breakage and stealing of metal taps, random spitting, vulgar pictures and rough language on the walls.
Rabin Shrestha, Chief of Environmental Management Department at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) accepts negligence in monitoring public toilets for which he blames the country’s defunct political system. Shrestha said the City Service Center (CSC) programme had helped most of the toilets improve their hygiene standards. Three toilets have been constructed, one each at Chabahil, Bhotahiti and Khulla Manch. With the CSC programme, public toilets have seen lots of improvements including addition of bathing. But more needs to be done.

Source: The Kathmandu Post, September 10, 2009