LooCafé Makes for a Healthy Alternate to the Stinking Public Toilets in City

Hyderabad: Most of the public toilets in the city are in a pathetic state and some of them have been closed for several months now. Although there are around 2,200 public toilets in GHMC jurisdiction, several are found wanting when it comes to maintenance.

Broken doors, weak structures and units not in use for years and unhygienic conditions define these deplorable public toilets.

Interactions with GHMC officials revealed that as those operating public toilets are not dependent on the user charges paid by the people who use them, they don’t maintain it well. Their major source of revenue comes from advertisers who use the public toilet walls.

A deeper study revealed that women never use public toilets due to bad maintenance. Incidentally, the ‘She’ toilets set up at many places are also not operational. Not many are aware of the mobile toilets parked near tourist spots as there are no signboards.

Public toilets at Jubilee Hills checkpost, Kalyannagar (near SR Nagar), Yousufguda, Madhapur and Koti are among the worst in the city.

Only LooCafé (free washroom) and Urban Loo (paid service) are maintaining their toilets well. LooCafé does not charge users as it depends on the revenue generated from the cafeteria attached to it. Moreover, they don't lease out space for advertisements.

Unlike other agencies that operate public toilets in the city, LooCafe is a start-up. One of their units on the busy NTR Marg was demolished by a private contractor who was awarded a HMDA work contract.

“The reason I don’t use public toilets is the pathetic condition that can rise to various diseases. Even though I commute by car, I use washrooms in Metro stations or ones located in restaurants,” said one Ananth Waghre near NTR Marg.

GHMC will soon set up LooCafe 3.0 in collaboration with ASCI and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“This public washroom model treats waste water used in toilets. This is a one-of-its-kind initiative in India,” said LooCafé founder Abhishek Nath.