Public ‘in’convenience

To meet Swachh Bharat Mission’s target of ending open defecation by 2019, the Greater Chennai Corporation has built 884 public toilet seats (a mixture of bio and e-toilets) in 236 locations till now. 

However, ground reality showed that most of these toilets, especially the bio toilets, are ill-maintained and unfit for use, defeating its very purpose.

The civic body has a target of building 1,120 public toilet seats in 348 locations, under the Swachh Bharat Mission’s Community Toilet Construction programme. “We have constructed 884 structures including bio toilets, Namma toilets and e-toilets, in 236 locations. The rest of the work will be completed in the next two months. These toilets are user friendly and are periodically checked by the respective zones. Installed in public places like bus terminus and shopping areas, these toilets are to reduce open defecation,” said a senior Corporation official. 

The bio toilets are installed in areas which have no underground sewerage system and recently, e-toilets have been introduced, which are unmanned, fully automatic and ‘self-cleaning’. While the e-toilets are mostly spic and span, the bio toilets paint a dreary picture. Syed Hassan, an IT professional from Korattur, said most of these bio toilet facilities are unusable. “There is a bio toilet near Arvind Towers in Korattur but it is in a bad condition, stinking perpetually. I don’t see many people using it. There was another instance, when I was in Guindy and wanted to use the rest room. Since the manual toilet was closed, I was directed to a mobile toilet opposite the Police Station. I couldn’t even approach the toilet as it was stinking and totally unusable. Unless we find a way to maintain the toilets, there is no use in expanding this facility,” he said. 

In Mylapore too, there are a few bio toilets in St. Mary’s Road and RK Nagar, some of which are dysfunctional, said K Viswanathan, Secretary, Mylapore Residents Welfare Association. “The mindset of the people is also to be blamed for the shabby condition of our toilets. In a typical situation, people urinate outside and walk away. We had to request the Corporation to remove the non-functional toilet at Venkatesa Agraharam Road, which was turning into a garbage dump. However, the Corporation also set up some e-toilets in Nageshwara Rao Park, which are wellmaintained,” he added. 

Professor V Chandrasekhar, a resident of Besant Nagar, said despite repeated complaints, the dilapidated bio toilet near the bus terminus, has not been attended to. “The bio toilet was destroyed during Cyclone Vardah but till now, there has been no move to rebuild it. It is quite unusable and doesn’t serve its purpose,” he added. 

While the modular toilets have been causing woes, the e-toilets seem to be preferred by many. Subodh Kumar, Regional Deputy Commissioner (Central), said that a few e toilets were set up in Anna Nagar and Teynampet, which have garnered a positive response from the public. “These toilets are easy to use and the maintenance is done regularly. To install a unit, we need a connection from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). The feedback has been positive,” added the official. 

The e-toilets were created by Eram Scientific, a social enterprise. “The toilets are programmed to flush 1.5 liters of water after three minutes of usage or 4.5 litres if usage is longer. It can also be programmed to clean the platform with a complete wash down after every 5 or 10 persons use the toilet,” reads the website. In March 2016, an app was launched by the company, to help people locate the nearest e-toilet. These toilets are located in busy hubs such as Thiruvanmiyur, Velachery, Beach Road, Anna Nagar and RA Puram to name a few. 

In a step towards ensuring that provisions made for better sanitation are optimally used, Eram Scientific Solutions — the company which has installed electronic toilets (e-toilets) across the city — launched an app on Monday to make it easy for people to locate these e-toliets. The app, which can run on both android and iOS platforms on mobile phones, helps users find the nearest e-toilet. Currently, 188 e-toilets are currently located in the city including at Broadway, Beach Road, Anna Nagar, RA Puram. Ramakrishna Mutt Road, Taramani, Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery. 

The Corporation is also working towards declaring 46 wards as ‘Open Defecation Free’ wards and has solicited the help of residents, schools, resident welfare associations and other stakeholders to prevent open defecation. 

A part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the households without toilets can avail central Government funds to construct a lavatory or if there is no space, avail the access of a community toilet within 500 meters of their living quarters.