Tech upgrade of public toilets, a must to improve public health

Personal hygiene, public health, and environmental protection are inseparable pillars of a healthy society. Ensuring access to safe, clean, and hygienic public toilets is a fundamental responsibility of every government. Unfortunately, the condition of public toilets in many towns and cities across India remains deplorable. This is not merely an inconvenience—it has become a serious public health concern.

The need for a toilet can arise unexpectedly while traveling or due to changes in diet. Yet, clean public toilets are rarely available in vegetable and fruit markets, fish and meat markets, bus stations, railway stations, shopping complexes, and along major highways. Farmers, truck drivers, porters, street vendors, and other daily wage workers traveling from rural areas are among the worst affected.

In the absence of adequate toilet facilities, people are often forced to urinate or defecate behind shops, in residential colonies, basements, or vacant plots. Such practices create foul odours, attract flies and mosquitoes, and significantly increase the risk of infectious diseases. Even where public toilets exist, they are often poorly maintained. Gutka and pan stains on walls, cigarette butts, broken doors, non-functional flush systems, inadequate water supply, and unbearable foul smells discourage people from using them.

Women and girls suffer the most from this lack of sanitation facilities. During emergencies, many are forced to suppress their natural needs for hours due to the unavailability of clean toilets, leading to urinary tract infections, kidney-related ailments, and other health complications. Many women even avoid drinking water before traveling because of the lack of safe restroom facilities.

Although the Supreme Court of India has directed that every government school should have adequate toilet facilities, many schools still lack functional toilets. Even where toilets exist, poor maintenance makes them unusable. Adolescent girls face particular difficulties during menstruation, adversely affecting their education and, in many cases, contributing to school dropouts.

Municipal regulations require commercial buildings, office complexes, and shopping malls to provide sufficient toilets on every floor. However, these rules often remain confined to paper. Weak monitoring by town planning authorities and municipal bodies has resulted in widespread non-compliance, causing significant inconvenience to the public.

Many cities have received the ODF++ (Open Defecation Free Plus Plus) certification, yet the ground reality often tells a different story. Open urination continues to be common in many urban areas. Although thousands of crores of rupees have been collected through the Swachh Bharat Cess, there is little transparency regarding how much of these funds are actually spent on constructing and maintaining public toilets. Another growing concern is that garbage bins placed adjacent to public toilets often turn these facilities into mini dumping yards. Sanitation workers are frequently denied basic protective equipment such as gloves, masks, mechanical cleaning tools, disinfectants, detergents, and phenyl. Continuous exposure to chemicals such as acids and bleaching powder without adequate protection increases their risk of respiratory and occupational diseases.

In many urban public toilets, users are charged ₹3 to ₹5 even for using urinals. This discourages people from using these facilities and drives them towards open urination, further aggravating sanitation and public health problems.

Given these challenges, integrating modern technology into public toilet management has become essential. A contactless smart toilet model developed by Harsh Ranjan Gupta of Hyderabad demonstrates an innovative solution. Features such as low-water flushing systems, sensor-based automatic operation, IoT-enabled real-time monitoring, and digital maintenance systems can significantly improve the efficiency, cleanliness, and sustainability of public sanitation facilities.

Governments should adopt a policy of establishing at least one modern public toilet for every 1,000 people. Free public urinals should be installed in markets, bus terminals, railway stations, commercial complexes, and along major roads. Public toilet management should incorporate IoT technology, sensor-based monitoring, and automated cleaning systems. Sanitation workers must be provided with modern safety equipment and mechanized cleaning tools. Greater transparency in the utilization of Swachh Bharat funds is also essential. Government schools must ensure separate, hygienic toilets for boys and girls, along with safe drinking water facilities.

Clean toilets are not a luxury—they are a fundamental human right. Protecting personal hygiene requires public toilets that are accessible, hygienic, and professionally managed using modern technology. Only through technological innovation, efficient maintenance, and strong governmental commitment can the vision of “Swachh Bharat” become a reality.

Improving public health requires not only the construction of toilets but also their effective and sustainable maintenance. The time has come to make technology-driven sanitation management an integral part of India’s public health strategy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Muchukota Suresh Babu

Dr Muchukota Suresh Babu