“World Toilet Day” will be observed on November 19. It is learnt that GOACAN will observe a ‘Toilets for All’ awareness fortnight to protect the right of the consumer to a clean, safe and functional toilet.
Public toilets are of great importance with regards to health and sanitation. Toilets in government offices, hospitals, educational institutions, bus stands and railway stations among other places need to be checked regularly for cleanliness, water-supply, etc.
Adequate safety measures, especially in the women toilets, and proper ventilation needs to be provided. Everyone at some time or the other has had to use a public toilet, however speaking about the toilet is considered as a taboo.
Many of the toilets, especially at the bus-stands in the state, are in a pathetic condition. At times men are seen urinating in the open in the vicinity of a public toilet either to avoid the foul smell in the toilet or to avoid paying to use the urinals.
It would be desirable not to collect fees for the use of urinals at the bus-stand and other public places. The cost of maintaining the public toilets needs to be borne by the government.
Fewer toilets also do not meet the needs of the general public due to the increase in the footfall of tourists. It is a very sad state of affairs that Goa, being a tourist hub, lacks the basic facilities.
Expectations such as toilets, drinking water, sheds and benches not only on the beaches but also in the major cities across the state, are simply not met.
