Muthrapurakal (Public Urinals) - Who is the city? Walk IV

Public toilets are quintessential for any urban space, devoid of which human excreta may adorn the public walls and streets. However, cities in India rarely address the needs of the urban commuters for a space to attend nature’s call. If urination can be characteristic of animals to mark their boundaries and to invite potential mates, human urine definitely do not enjoy any of these values. A breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes, city walls in our cities are transformed into instant urinals. Not only have they created zones of stink and discomfort, they also draw distinct boundaries that are exclusively a male domain. 

A quick research on the use of toilets reveal that human civilization is not new to this technology. The traces of organized sewerage networks were clearly evident during the Indus and Roman civilizations, however, progression took the wrong turn and it was encountered by a regressive nature of relieving oneself that do not even meet the animal standards of discipline. Even after centuries we struggle to relieve ourselves in public places or congregational spaces. Public toilets are either unheard of, or purposefully avoided or are unrecognisable. Urine is no longer irrepressible. Especially for women, for whom, the act of relieving themselves is nothing less than shame. They are often told “Hold on until you reach home”. There is gender in Urine too!Even if we have urinals in our cities, they are ill maintained, in accessible, differential to transgenders and differently abled, smelly and are located especially in shady corners. Sulabh shochalay was a revolution and did contribute to the crisis of public toilets while installation of e-toilets was a result of technological advancement. What is the reality on ground? What is the role of public urinals in Trivandrum city today? How do we understand the city’s toilet culture? 

This month’s ‘Who is the city’ walk tried to address some of the concerns pertaining to our city’s toilet culture by taking an early morning walk to the public toilets of East Fort and Chala. The walk was lead by Ar. Geethanjali and supported by Recycle Bin team. We gathered at Gandhi park at 7 am, a group of 12, mostly architects. Geethanjali and Ganga discussed their experiences on public toilets, their travels across Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We decided to visit the toilet next to SreePadmanabha Theatre. Tucked in between the walls of the theatre and a shopping complex read a faint board “Public Toilet”. Ms. Zainaba was dozing on a desk next to the entry, clearly tired. Hearing our discussions, she woke up. She greeted with a smile and said “wait let me clean this first. It stinks, men have urinated”. Zainaba has been in charge of the toilet for over 6 months. She maintains it from 5 am to 8 30 pm. A resident of Karimadom colony she recognized some of us who used to frequent the colony trying to learn more about slum rehabilitation. The toilet facility had a common entry point for men and women. One toilet for women, 3 urinals for men and 3 toilets for men. Wash basins were behind the doors, as if none used them. We enquired “Do women use this toilet?” Zainaba replied “Yes, sometimes, but mostly men come here”. This was evident in the way cleaning equipments were dumped in front of the ladies toilet. It implied “door isn’t opened so frequently”. We thanked Zainaba and walked through the cramped streets of Chala market to the urinals and toilets. The market had just finished unloading of the day’s goods. Men, mostly drivers and cleaners of the vehicles were moving in and out of the public toilet, keeping Babu busy that morning. We saw people taking bath, and using toilet facilities. Upon enquiry Babu mentioned that there is no separation for men and women. Although open to all, women do not visit. This toilet also serves people who live inside Chala but with no toilet or bathing facilities attached to their residences. Babu has been working in the same toilet for over 6 years and has managed to get the contract renewed ever year. He maintains the place, cleans it daily. He recollected the drainage issue that lead to closing down of another toilet in the adjacent street where he used to work initially. Amidst complains about the laxity on the part of the corporation to maintain the building, he continued to collect money from the morning visitors and sold cigarettes and soaps. Ar. Ganga Dileep who heads Recyclebin pointed out that although the local government is in charge of toilets, operation and maintenance are left with the individuals, moreover, there is no monitoring of cleanliness. As more and more people came for morning ablutions, we decided to move towards the public toilet inside the market, located close to the fish stall. Ashraf, a frail man greeted us at the toilet. A man was having bath in the open bathing area and a couple of toilets were being used. We did not see any demarcations here too. Upon enquiry Ashraf mentioned that “everyones same here, there is no segregation. We have more women coming here during market hours”. His woes echoed similar to Babu’s. Apart from the dilapidated buildings, Ashraf had done a relatively good job in maintaining the toilets. He offered us tea but we kindly declined and walked towards Putharikkandam Maithanam, a very important public gathering space. Sulabh Shouchalay and an e-toilet were placed along the entry to the ground where Trivandrum Festival was being held. E-toilet, a mission by the local government to make toilets accessible to public, lay in dis-repair. Adding to the pathetic state of the toilet was dumping of solid waste all around it. Sulabh too looked dilapidated. A peep into the bathing space behind, revealed a huge puncture on the compound wall that drained out the waste water into the adjacent water body (Amazhinjan thodu). We entered into the toilet block which was maintained by two young men from West Bengal, Kumar and Suresh. To the utter dismay of the group, a man was using the women’s toilet. We asked the duo as to why men are permitted inside women section. They replied “He is a she”. Within seconds, the person got out and asked us if we had a problem, and we smiled saying “absolutely not, please carry on”. Team Recyclebin reiterated the issues faced by Transgenders in accessing public toilet facilities in the city. The final leg of the walk was to the toilet adjacent to the East Fort Bus stand. There were two parts to the building, one a men’s urinal and the other toilets. There was one toilet dedicated for women. The person collecting money identified him selves as Vijayannair', has been working there for more than 6 months. When we asked him as to why these are ill-maintained, he said “ there is a lady who comes to clean every day, she hasn’t come today”. The stink was too much for us to spend more than 5 minutes. So we decided to end the session and have a cup of tea from a near by tea shop inside east fort gate. There were devotees treading towards Padmanabhaswamy temple, while we sipped the tea and munched some pakoda. This visit has revealed some very important aspects of public toilets in Trivandrum. Most importantly it reflected the distinctive culture of our society and its approach to toilets. Toilets should be our front yards rather than our backyards!

1. Municipal Corporation should take necessary action to ensure operation and maintenance. An O&M manual should be developed to systematically run these establishments through periodical monitoring. 
2. There is a need to re-look at public toilet designs. They cannot be treated as stinky boxes in shady spaces within the city. Visibility, visual language, accessibility to all genders and people with physical challenges etc should be considered in the design. 
3. Visibility of public toilets is important, this can ensure better maintenance.
4. More than a smart toilet, a city needs clean space with clean bucket/mug/health faucet that works and running water.
5. While gender segregation of toilets is not a bad idea, gender neutral toilets are required to cater to the needs of transgender communities.
6. While designing public toilets, care should be taken to include clean spaces for people who maintain the toilet. They should not be left to the stink. There is a need to have clean designated spaces for them with separate space for storing cleaning equipments
7. Vending machines for sanitary napkins (preferably biodegradable ones) should be installed in every toilet