What was envisioned as public convenience has become terrible inconvenience. Why our public toilets stink more than just smell and this is a pan India issue including Kashmir
If you ever want to test your limits of patience, bravery, and your immune system in one go—don’t bother going to war. Just try using a public toilet in India. You’ll come out either a stronger person or a traumatized one. Probably both. The state of public toilets in this country is not just bad—it’s a national embarrassment. The Delhi High Court recently lashed out at India’s glorious civic bodies like the MCD, DDA, and NDMC for maintaining toilets in a manner that would make even the plague flee in disgust. And rightly so. Because even in 2025, with bullet trains and moon missions, our basic sanitation remains stuck in the stone age—with fewer stones and more stink. What’s so wrong with public toilets? Where do we start?Let’s begin with the basics. Most public toilets in India are either locked, leaking, lifeless. So basically the public toiletsare from hell and they are no more the sites of public convenience. On paper, we have thousands of them—erected proudly under the Swachh Bharat banners. But try locating one when you desperately need it, and you’ll likely find either a locked gate, an angry stray dog guarding it, or worse, a sign saying “under renovation since 2019”. And God help you if you’re a woman. Women’s toilets are either missing altogether or so filthy that peeing behind a tree starts looking like the better option. This is not just a design failure—it’s a dignity failure. Let’s be generous and spread the blame around. First, the civic bodies. Their favourite sport seems to be “pass the responsibility”. Each time there’s a crisis, they all point fingers at each other like it’s an olympic relay. Meanwhile, the toilet overflows.Second, the contractors. These fine folks are experts in cutting corners. You’ll often find toilets built at awkward angles, with no proper plumbing, doors that don’t shut, and taps that exist only in blueprints. Third, the politicians. They love to inaugurate toilets with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, click photos, and then never visit again—probably because they know the state it’ll be in a week later. And fourth, the public. Yes, we the people. Some of us treat toilets like garbage bins, others like art canvases—leaving behind poetry, phone numbers, and unsolicited life advice on the walls. Why are they so pathetic despite so many schemes?Because we excel at building things. But maintaining them? That’s where we fail spectacularly.Schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan focused heavily on construction, not upkeep. Thousands of toilets were built, but nobody bothered to ask: “Who will clean them? Who will repair them? Who will provide water and electricity?”It’s like buying a car and forgetting to budget for fuel or servicing. Only this time, the broken car smells like a public health emergency. The Delhi High Court recently got so fed up, it told civic bodies their attitude was “apathetic, insensitive, and inhuman”. In one audit, 11 out of 16 toilets were either locked, non-functional, or dirtier than a political campaign. The Court’s observations weren’t just legal—they were painfully human. It pointed out how bad sanitation disproportionately affects women, the elderly, and the poor—people who can’t afford to “hold it in” or flee to a mall to relieve themselves. And honestly, the courts shouldn’t have to say this in 2025. It’s common sense. If you can’t provide basic hygiene, what’s the point of smart cities, digital India, or 5G?
“In a nation that reveres rivers and cows and upholds cleanliness, it’s ironic that our toilets resemble garbage dumps. Despite our ancient advancement in drainage from the Indus Valley civilization, we still struggle with basic toilet maintenance in 2025. It’s time to apply our rich heritage rather than just boast about it, as poor public toilet conditions hinder our development narrative.”
Let’s not ignore the class angle. The elite don’t face this problem. They use airport lounges, air-conditioned cafes, or their homes. For the average rickshaw puller, homeless woman, or roadside vendor, a public toilet is not a convenience—it’s a daily battle.You’ll often see people relieving themselves behind bushes or on the side of highways. And then we blame them for “dirtying the city” without asking: where should they go? You can’t slap fines on people for open defecation if your public toilet is a biological hazard. That’s like punishing someone for not eating vegetables in a famine. Let’s also talk about the invisible heroes—or rather, the ignored ones. The sanitation workers. Underpaid, overworked, and still often forced to clean manually—despite laws banning it. Why are public toilets dirty? Because the people responsible for cleaning them aren’t given tools, dignity, or fair wages. Most of us won’t even make eye contact with them, let alone appreciate their service. And then we wonder why the system stinks.What can actually be done? Or are we doomed?Let’s be hopeful for once. We can fix this mess, but only if we stop treating it like an afterthought.Stop building new toilets until you fix the ones we already have. Invest in daily cleaning teams, regular audits, and responsive complaint systems.Pay sanitation workers on time. Train them. Protect them. Celebrate them. Without them, your cities will rot—literally. We have smart watches and smart fridges. Why not smart toilets? Some e-toilets now come with self-cleaning features, usage tracking, and remote maintenance alerts. It’s not rocket science—it’s just common decency with software.Ensure every public toilet has equal access for women, menstrual hygiene supplies, and privacy locks. It’s not “luxury”—it’s basic human rights.Create a monthly report card for every ward. Cleanest toilets vs worst toilets. Publish it on public boards and local newspapers. A little embarrassment goes a long way in India. This isn’t just about toilets. It’s about public health, urban dignity, and gender equality. A dirty public toilet spreads diseases, discourages tourism, humiliates the poor, and pushes women out of public spaces. You can’t expect citizens to feel patriotic about a country where they have to walk two kilometers to find a usable loo. In a country where we worship rivers, bow to cows, and chant “cleanliness is next to godliness,” it’s ironic that we treat our toilets worse than a garbage dump. We are the land of Indus valley civilization, where our ancestors built advanced drainage 5000 years ago. Yet in 2025, we’re still struggling with basic toilet maintenance.Maybe it’s time to stop boasting about our ancient wisdom and start applying a little of it. Because let’s be honest: until our public toilets stop smelling like hell, our development story will always stink a little.
(The author based in Gowhar Pora Chadoora of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district is an Assistant Professor with J&K Higher Education Department. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
Dr. Ashraf Zainabi
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