The number of working women in the port city has increased significantly, but there is no public toilet for them due to indifference and negligence of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC).
According to estate department of the CCC, there are 43 public toilets in the city under CCC jurisdiction against 6,000,000 residents, but surprisingly there is not a single toilet for women.
Of the 43 public toilets, six are reserved for challenged people while three are installed for transgender in the city, said CCC sources.
The CCC sources said leaseholders of toilets sometimes make their own arrangement with little access for women at incumbent toilets.
“During rush hours, it is quite difficult to enter public toilets,” said a woman who sells cake on the roadside.
Chief (acting) of Estate department Ahmadul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune that the CCC could not even think such kind of initiative while the present condition of the incumbent public toilets are in miserable condition and not for suitable for women.
At the election manifesto, Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin said adequate number of public toilets would be set up for residents of the city especially for female.
Conducting a study over public toilets in the city, a research titled “State of Cities: Governance for a Livable Chittagong” by BRAC Institute of Governance and Development says qualities of public toilets is matter of concern while around 57% people reported that they did not have access to public toilets. The low access to public toilets is attributed to lack of cleanliness.
Monowara Akhtar, a readymade garment worker at Chittagong Export Processing Zone, told the Dhaka Tribune that she did not use toilets outside of home as there was no public toilet or access for women.
Monowara added sometimes female workers have to wait in long queue because of huge rush at toilets of the working place as the number of toilets are insufficient.
Tania Akhtar, a student of Communication and Journalism of Chittagong University, told the Dhaka Tribune that female students had to wait for CU-bound train in Sholoshahar Railway Station area in the morning everyday. But there is only one toilet for both male and female person and condition of the toilet was unhygienic.
“If there was a public toilet for the female students, the girls could easily use it”, she added.
Jobaida Nargis Khan, a councilor of reserve seat for women (4,5 and 6 wards) said: “We knew the CCC is going to set up few public toilets for women, but I do not know any details regarding the issue”.
Chief Executive Officer of the CCC Kazi Mohammed Sofiul Alam said: “We will discuss the matter with mayor.”
