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Jun 27, 2023

Loo and behold

Despite investments by local authorities and development bodies to set up restrooms, their upkeep has often been found wanting. Published: 03rd August 2023 09:12 AM | Last Updated: 03rd August 2023

Despite investments by local authorities and development bodies to set up restrooms, their upkeep has often been found wanting.

Published: 03rd August 2023 09:12 AM | Last Updated: 03rd August 2023 09:13 AM | A+A A-

Comfort room under construction at Marine Drive. (Photo | Express)

KOCHI: If things go according to plan, Kochi will soon get clean, well-maintained public toilets at prominent tourist spots. The dearth of clean public toilets has been a persistent issue for years. Now, yielding to mounting civic pressure, the corporation has entered an agreement with a Delhi-based company to set up 10 state-of-the-art sanitisation units across the city.

Despite investments by local authorities and development bodies to set up restrooms, their upkeep has often been found wanting. Many are either defunct or in squalid conditions.

Smart toilets

In what sounds to be a positive shift, the corporation has roped in Delhi-based startup SnapEX Overseas to introduce smart sanitisation centres, which, as per the agreement, will have bathrooms, bio-digester systems, water vending machines, laundromats and cloakrooms.

Interestingly, the facilities highlighted include sleeping pods and spaces for retail and marketing activity.

Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar had granted preliminary approval for the deal in May. During the council meeting, the corporation formally approved the setting up of 10 smart sanitisation units at key locations on a trial basis.

SnapEX boasts an impressive track record of successfully operating and maintaining similar models across the country. “The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation entrusted this company with setting up a public toilet, and it has been running successfully,” notes Corporation secretary Babu Abdul Khader.

As per the agreement, SnapEX will manage and maintain the restroom units through subleasing, and implementing a ‘pay-and-use’ system.

The corporation will provide site permissions and assist in arranging water, electricity, and sewage connections. SnapEX will install stainless steel prefabricated fittings within the constructed restroom block.

The restroom units, produced at the firm’s Haryana factory, will be assembled at various locations in Kochi. The estimated cost of each unit ranges from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, requiring an area of around 200 sqft.

While the plan looks good on paper, there are grumbles that the corporation’s past attempts at installing public restrooms have had limited success.

“Of several container toilets installed at various sites in the city, only three are currently functional — near Cochin Shipyard, opposite the corporation office, and near the South Metro station,” highlights UDF councillor V K Minimol.

“In some locations, these toilets had to be removed as they turned into nooks of antisocial activities.” Minimol also notes that despite their functionality, these facilities are often avoided, particularly by women who find them cramped and awkward due to their open placement.

‘It’s shameful’

“Locating a clean restroom in the city is a challenge,” says Gayathri A, a consultant psychologist. “Many are forced to stop at restaurants, have a coffee perhaps, and use their facilities. A few of my friends have told me that while they do shopping at MG Road, they depend on Centre Square Mall’s washroom or use the one available at MG Road Metro Station.”

The situation in Fort Kochi, the city’s prime tourist hub, is pretty stinky. “Tourists as well as local workers and shopkeepers, especially women, suffer due to the lack of neat public restrooms,” says Girijan C V, who runs a tea shop near the jetty.

“Also, beach-goers don’t have a proper facility to clean up and change clothes. Due to poor maintenance, the existing restroom nearby is in a mess. There is a perennial stench near it.”

A nearby shopkeeper, Sindhu, chips in that tourists often approach her, asking for directions to the closest toilet. “But I’m at a loss as to where to guide them,” she says. “There was a pay-and-use restroom, but it has been under maintenance for about a month now. There are times when I head back home to use the restroom.”

Tour guide Sebastian John expresses similar frustration. “At times, I have no choice but to let guests use the toilet at my house,” he says. “We advise tourists to use the restrooms at their hotels before they set out for sightseeing. It’s quite shameful, and mars our city’s image.”

Marine Drive mess

Marine Drive, another major tourist spot, suffers from inadequate restroom facilities. Though it was recently renovated by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), the facility is back in shambles due to shoddy maintenance.

“Marine Drive is one of the city’s most iconic tourist spots. Yet, there are inadequate public toilet facilities. There is only one functioning comfort station near the High Court jetty. The walkway doesn’t have one,” sighs A Koya, a local tourist guide.

Social activist Ranjit Thampy is disgusted. “The recently renovated restroom beneath the Kettuvallam bridge on Abdul Kalam Marg is in deplorable condition solely due to official indifference,” he says.

A GCDA official contends that several attempts were made to maintain the restroom at Marine Drive. “We had appointed security officials there, but some miscreants attacked him. Antisocial elements in the area are a major problem,” he says.

The official adds that two new restroom blocks are being built near the Marine Drive ground. “They will be operated and maintained by private parties on a pay-and-use basis,” he says. “In addition, two new toilet blocks are coming up in the Kaloor international stadium compound, and one near the Ambedkar Stadium. We hope that the work will be completed by the end of this month.”

Sleeping Pods

During the council meeting, there was some resistance to the inclusion of sleeping pods in the proposal, with concerns raised about their necessity. The concept of sleeping pods is relatively new in the state, with only one functioning unit, Trivpod, in Thiruvananthapuram. City resident Sreelakshmi Kumar, a second-year LLB student, welcomes the idea.

“I have read about the concept, which is said to be common in Japan. They look nice on Instagram. There is no harm in having one in the city, as it will be helpful for tourists and backpackers seeking short breaks,” she says. “Instead of paying for 24 hours at hotels, such sleeping pods with an hourly tariff will be apt for short naps.” While the youth give the idea a thumbs-up, there are some concerns regarding practicality and safety. “A sleeping pod concept is ideal to set up on highways, not in the city,” opines S Gopakumar of Better Kochi Response Group.