Free access, automated cleaning, a mobile app to spot glitches from afar, yellow/red/green lights to indicate water availability and occupancy— the e-toilet fits perfectly into an urban milieu. They seem ideal replacement for the conventional public toilets. Then why do the e-toilets in Kozhikode attract dust and rust rather than users?
Kozhikode was the first city in the country to build e-toilets seven years ago. The manufacturers, Eram Scientific Solutions, went on to set up a large network of such toilets across the country with even a mobile application to track the nearest one. Yet in Kozhikode, e-toilets serve as shelter to stray dogs or even drunkards. Their walls are dirtied by movie posters and bills.
It was in 2010 that the first 15 e-toilets were set up in Kozhikode at a cost of ₹7 lakh a unit following a series of agitations by women’s organisations demanding public toilets.
However, there have been some technical glitches right from day-one which discouraged people from using them. The malfunctioning of occupancy indicators and several instances of people getting caught inside the toilet due to faulty automated doors were some. Non-availability of water in some of the units too resulted in the virtual public boycott of the system.
But it wasn’t just the glitches that kept the women in the city away from them. “They are too public” was one of the most repeated complaints, while some were scared of “too much technology”. The toilets were set up at locations selected based on criteria such as necessity, availability of land, accessibility and visibility. The units are mostly on the roadsides or public spaces, which the women claim to not offer them the required privacy.
Need for awareness
The relentless follow up of ‘Sthreechethana’, a women’s organisation, on the issue forced the Ombudsman for Local Self-Government Institutions to demand the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation to resolve the technical issues concerning e-toilets in 2014.
After several sittings, corrections and negotiations, the faulty units were replaced by the manufacturers with much advanced facilities in February 2016. With the introduction of seven new units, the access to the toilet units was made free of cost.
The mobile application to track the nearest e-toilet also was introduced at the time. Moreover, the automated door mechanism has been replaced by a manual one based on the Corporation’s request, to ensure that people do not get trapped in the units any more.
In the latest inspection by Sthreechethana, conducted two months ago, most e-toilets in the city were found well-maintained, but the patronage was still low. K.S. Jayasree, secretary of Sthreechethana, cited the need for an awareness campaign to popularise the concept, especially in schools and colleges. She also called for a change in women’s attitude towards public space.
“Where do we place a public toilet other than in a public space? Why do women shy away from public space? They have to change their mindset to accept that public space belonged to them as well,” she said.
On the other hand, Kozhikode Corporation has decided to deal with the problem head on. “We are planning to set up walls around the units so that women would have a sense of privacy,” Health Standing Committee chairman K.V. Baburaj said.
Between the awareness campaign and the Corporation’s attempt to ensure more privacy for the users, the e-toilet system in Kozhikode may have light at the end of the tunnel.
