We fondly talk of food, but food, after passing through the digestive system, turns into something which we consider a topic the discussion of which should be shunned. This is ironic and tragic. Like many other developing countries, our country too is deficient in public toilets where people can relieve themselves. In all cities of the country, only few public toilets are available and even these are dirty and mostly without water and soap. The situation with regard to such facilities for women is pathetic. In the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, there are only 27 public lavatories to cater to the needs of millions. Even at tourist spots from which the government and private businesses earn huge incomes, this aspect of human requirement has cruelly been overlooked.
The number of these vitally important facilities is highly inadequate, forcing many visitors to relieve themselves at spots away from the gaze of others. Unclean toilets and defecation in the open result in spreading bacteria in the environment, causing dangerous diseases in children as well adults. Remember faeces are a fast conductor of germs and bacteria. The waste matter gets into drinking water too, further exposing people to illnesses. Tens of thousands of children are killed due to these bacteria every year in the country. Workers, who live in cities away from their families and in lodgings without the facility of a lavatory, relieve themselves in the open. This is witnessed mostly in the morning. Not many in the country defecate in the open though. However, not even approximate figures are available in this connection. Most surprisingly, toilets and urinals in government hospitals are mostly dirty. In the near-absence of public lavatories, people in marketplaces are often seen desperately looking for a proper place to answer nature’s call.
There are talks of converting cow dung into biogas to overcome the shortage of energy. It’s bullshit vs shit, and the former is getting attention. All governments have ignored this important issue confronting the commoners.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2021.
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