Mumbai: BMC to keep public toilets open all day

Most public loos in Mumbai are closed between 11 pm and 4.30 am

Focused on the prime minister's Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is hoping to do its bit by keeping public loos in the city open 24/7.

According to the solid waste management department, open defecation happens because public toilets remain closed during the night from 11pm to 4.30am. The BMC is confident that by keeping public toilets open 24 hours, the problem of open defecation will be resolved to a great extent.

Under the Swachh Bharat… several initiatives have been taken up by the civic authority to ensure cleanliness in the city. Moreover, there is also a mobile application now where citizens can register a complaint if the civic authority is lagging on the cleanliness front. Making Mumbai free from open defecation is one of the goals under the initiative and civic authorities seem to have taken it very seriously.

Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner, Solid Waste Management, said, "When we began working towards making Mumbai free from open defecation, we started receiving complaints from slumdwellers that they have no option as community toilets and public toilets in many localities are closed from 11 pm to 4.30am. Realising the concern, we ordered all public toilets to remain open 24/7 and keep personnel at work there so nobody is forced to defecate in the open."

There are more than 50 lakh citizens in Mumbai who live in slums and require community as well as public toilets. There are more than 10,000 public toilets in the city, which include community toilets and also pay and use toilets.