To her surprise, the public toilet at Ratnapark looked cleaner and much safer than she had imagined. "There are locks, proper place for disposing of sanitary pads, soap and running water," recalls Gurung, who works at a private company in the capital.However, not all public toilets in Kathmandu are as well managed as the one at Ratnapark. Most public toilets are without latches and provide no privacy. They also reek in lack of cleanliness.
Another woman, Sushila Gurung, shared her experience of using a public toilet at Lagankhel. "It was not in a proper condition. The stench of urine was unbearable," the 29-year-old NGO staffer said. "There was a soap, but no water." Even though the toilets had locks, she hastened to exit because of awful smell, according to her.
Girls and women who are averse to using public toilets have found a respite in the lavatory at shopping malls and supermarkets.
"The toilets in malls and supermarkets are well maintained and they are free of cost," according to 18-year-old Jenisha Mainali. "Even when it's an emergency, I'll wait till I reach home or the nearest mall rather than use public toilets," she said.
She not only gets conscious about her health but also privacy while using public toilets because many of them are dirty and devoid of locks.
According to a recent record maintained at Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), there are in total 17 public toilets in the Kathmandu Valley. Even though the users are forced to pay a fee to use them, almost all the public toilets are in pathetic condition.
Sunil, who collects money from the users at the Ratnapark toilet, informed that men visit the toilet more than women.
As per Rabin Man Shrestha, senior divisional engineer at the KMC, although the metropolitan city has plans to build 100 public toilets in the valley, it has not been able to find lands for the purpose.
However, the KMC's failure to manage the few of the public toilets in use currently raises questions about its ability to take proper care of the proposed 100 new toilets.
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