KARACHI:
Public toilets remain scarce across most Pakistani cities, and where they do exist, they are frequently in a condition that discourages use altogether. For daily commuters, street vendors and anyone spending extended time outdoors, this absence is more than an inconvenience.
Women in particular bear the brunt of this gap. The lack of clean, accessible public facilities often forces women to limit their time outside the home or avoid certain areas altogether, a restriction rarely considered when public infrastructure is planned.
Where public toilets do exist, maintenance is inconsistent at best. Broken fixtures, absent water supply and poor sanitation are common complaints, making many facilities unusable in practice even when they technically exist on paper.
Basic sanitation infrastructure should not be treated as optional in public planning. Regularly maintained, accessible public toilets, particularly in markets, transport hubs and public parks, would meaningfully improve daily life for a large section of the population that current planning tends to overlook.
Faqeer Hussain Bhatti
Depalpur
