The World Health Organisation states that there must be a public toilet available every 0.5 kilometres. Furthermore, it says that there must be one toilet for every 50 residents.

But Kathmandu Valley has only 84 public toilets. Of that only one-third is operational. If we are to count public restrooms at petrol pumps, hospitals, commercial buildings, and other public areas, the number is estimated to be around 300 toilets. However, this number is still insufficient to serve a city of above 2.5 million people.

In Kathmandu, availability is not the only problem – the issue of functionality and accessibility is an equally big problem.  In the coming week, Aawaaj News will explore the issues faced by Kathmanduites every day, especially women, sexual minorities, and people living with disabilities when nature calls.

Image: A single public toilet serves the Patan Durbar Square area. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Patan Durbar square is one of the busiest tourist destinations in Kathmandu Valley. 

(Pankaj Thapa / Aawaaj News)

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