Daily Times

Sir: World Toilet Day was observed all over the world on November 19, 2013 to help spread awareness about the absolute necessity of hygienic and up-to-the-mark sanitation. It is a day celebrated to help spread the understanding that a clean and healthy environment can only be established when there is access to the right kind of sanitation so that illnesses and fatalities are prevented. However, in Pakistan, we face a very dismal situation. Adequate public washroom facilities are a far-fetched dream — wherever they are present, they are in such an appalling state that it seems as if one could catch deadly diseases by just sniffing the smelly air in such bathroom stalls.

When washroom facilities are unavailable, we see men disrobe in public and use the great outdoors as if it were an open bathroom. Needless to say, this is a horrid sight to have to witness and the presence of urine and faeces in the open will give rise to many illnesses. I request the government to make good on the awareness raised by World Toilet Day and look into providing the public with adequate washroom facilities.

BEENISH SHAH

Lahore