Hyderabad: Despite the city achieving complete Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, almost 30% of public toilets in Hyderabad remain non-functional.
Many public toilets in Shaikpet, Dilsukhnagar, Balanagar, Mehdipatnam, Tolichowki and Basheerbagh are not functional. Of the 1,857 public toilets set up in six zones of the city, only 1,386 are functional, resulting in a ratio of one functional public toilet for every 10,000 citizens.
Delhi Election Results 2025
“Forget the modern public toilets, even those that are operational are in a deplorable state, with poor maintenance and foul odours making them almost unusable. Densely populated areas such as Punjagutta, Khairatabad and Ameerpet suffer from a severe shortage of public toilets. With the city’s growing population, there is an urgent need for the GHMC to improve the sanitation infrastructure and increase the number of public toilets,” said Manish Agarwal, a resident of SR Nagar.
Staff appointed to monitor cleaning: GHMC
Meanwhile, GHMC officials said that instructions have been issued to all assistant medical officers of health (AMOHs) in the solid waste management wing to work out modalities with the engineering wing to make all public toilets functional and send proposals for setting up BOT (build-operate-transfer) toilets.
“Even after repeated repairs and regular maintenance of public toilets, most of them appear non-functional due to frequent theft and damage to sanitary facilities. However, the sanitary field assistants have been appointed as toilet inspecting officers to monitor the cleaning and working conditions of each facility,” said an official from the sanitation wing of the GHMC.
The civic body officials mentioned that cleaning and maintenance agencies have been appointed at the circle level to clean and maintain the public toilets (excluding BOTs & Sulabh) in all 30 circles for minimum maintenance of the toilets such as Nani traps, Dettol, bleaching powder and cleaning of drain blockages with a gulper machine.
“People can submit their feedback on the cleanliness and functioning of the toilets by scanning the QR code set up at the facilities. The toilet inspecting officers will monitor the functioning of the facilities on a daily basis through this citizen feedback system. At the same time, the civic body is also undertaking behaviour change initiatives through intensive participation of key stakeholders, self-help groups, students and youth, and corporate organisations to ensure that these sanitation facilities are used regularly and properly,” said a senior GHMC official.
