Online campaign to reclaim public toilets gains ground

Speaking about the initiative, Govind Murugan, Convenor, Dhagam Foundation, said that the shabby state of these toilets pushed the foundation to create a public movement to reclaim these facilities. “The idea is simple — anybody in any part of Chennai can take a photo or video of a public toilet, which is in a bad condition and send it to 8190000163. The campaign was launched on Saturday and we have already received more than 70 responses, from various parts of the city, including Saidapet, Adyar, Vyasarpadi and other parts of North Chennai. Many of the people have also sent photos of inaccessible toilets in government schools, which inconveniences the students,” he added. 

The online campaign will result in a documentation of the current state of public toilets in the city. “We have also filed an RTI to find out the funds allocated for the maintenance and installation of public toilets. Because, there is little maintenance carried out to keep the toilets in a usable condition. The lack of such facilities is a huge hindrance for people, especially women, who are out of their homes and want to access a public toilet,” said Murugan, attributing lack of maintenance to the unavailability of sanitation workers. “The city is supported by the sanitation workers, but they are not given safety gears such as gloves,” he added. 

Raji R, a city-based marketing professional, said that this campaign is the need of the hour, especially since public toilets are basic facilities. “My work involves a lot of commuting across the city. If I need to use a public toilet, I will have to go to a nearby restaurant or a mall or drive back all the way to office. The public toilets I came across were either locked or in a pathetic condition. We need to ensure that public toilets are well maintained,” she remarked.