Toilets in Kozhikode have scored above 90 percent in cleanliness audits

Public toilets in Kozhikode district have scored more than 90 percent in the ‘Toilet Speak’ cleanliness audit conducted by the District Suchitwa Mission and National Service Scheme.

Toilet Speak is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state conducted as part of World Toilet Day celebrations under the Swachh Bharat Mission and the ‘Malinya Mukta Navakeralam’ campaign from December 4 to 10. About 600 NSS volunteers from 15 colleges. Participated in the survey in the district.

“Students have inspected 1,211 toilets in various establishments including government offices, hotels, schools, bus stands, railway stations, hospitals, banks, shopping malls, restaurants, etc.,” Suchitwa district coordinator M. Gautam said. Mission.

Toilets were divided into two categories, public and private sector establishments. The survey covered 134 public and 1,078 private sector establishments. It followed the central government guidelines under the Open Defecation (ODF) campaign. Factors assessed to determine the quality of toilets include availability of water, presence of buckets, soap and hand washing, security (ability to close doors properly), lighting, cleanliness, maintenance, availability of staff for cleaning, personal hygiene of staff, availability of separate sanitary baskets. Garbage collection, sign boards, wetting pits and odor control.

The mission report stated that toilets in both public and private sectors are equally good, with more than 90% of them equipped with basic amenities. More than 80% were clean and well maintained. “It shows that the days of smelly toilets are gone. We have seen widespread use of public toilets with ‘take a break’ facilities by commuters, pilgrims, auto rickshaw drivers and common people,” said Mr. Gauthman.

However, the report points out that factors such as wetting pits, signboards and facilities for sanitary waste disposal need more attention. “The mission plans to intervene in these matters in the coming days and make arrangements to remove any deficiencies,” he said.