VIJAYAWADA: Public toilet facilities in Vijayawada city are in a state of neglect, causing severe inconvenience to residents, commuters, and daily visitors. Despite being a major urban centre in Andhra Pradesh with a floating population of several lakhs, the city continues to suffer from a glaring shortage of clean and accessible toilets.
Currently, Vijayawada has 47 public toilets, nine community toilets, and 12 Namma toilets, collectively offering fewer than 1,000 seats. Many of these facilities are unhygienic, poorly maintained, and emit foul odours, making them unusable for most.
Adding to the problem, there are no clearly displayed rate boards, and users report being charged exorbitant fees. Dr N Gopal Nayak, In-charge Chief Medical Officer of Health at the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), clarified that community toilets are meant to be free, and public toilets operating under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model should charge no more than Rs 5 for lavatory use, with urinals and washing services provided free of cost. However, several contractors reportedly charge Rs 10 for all services.
“There is no proper coordination between departments. “The Engineering Department allots contracts while the Health Department is responsible for maintenance, leading to confusion and inaction when issues arise,” Dr Nayak said.
During a recent council meeting in March, officials failed to provide clarity on the number of contractors or the criteria under which contracts are issued. Concerns raised by council members regarding unhygienic conditions and agency accountability were left unanswered, highlighting a lack of transparency and monitoring.
According to the Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, cities should provide one toilet seat per 100 men and two per 100 women for every 500,000 people in the floating population. Vijayawada falls significantly short of this benchmark.
In a rapidly growing city with increasing daily footfall, civic groups and residents are demanding urgent action.
More public toilets, better regulatory oversight, and stricter enforcement of sanitation standards are critical to ensuring public health and dignity in urban spaces.