With support from WaterAid Bangladesh, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is constructing a women-friendly ‘Pink Toilet’ as a pilot model inside the Mohakhali Bus Terminal, exclusively for female users. The facility is expected to be inaugurated within the next two months, according to DNCC sources.
As part of its ‘Smart City’ vision, DNCC is also set to launch a mobile application titled Jabo Kothay (Where to Go), aimed at helping residents easily locate public toilets and access other related services. This was confirmed by DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz.
As part of integrating technology into public toilet management, DNCC has already installed biological septic tanks at Dr. Fazle Rabbi Park in Gulshan, Lautola Public Toilet, and Khilkhet Railgate Public Toilet. To reduce water wastage, sensor-equipped taps have been installed in several facilities. These sensors automatically release water when hands are placed under the faucet and shut off on their own.
“We face no obstacles from government utility agencies such as WASA, DESCO, or DPDC regarding water and electricity connections,” said Administrator Ejaz. “However, since sewer lines are insufficient in some areas, we’ve ensured biological septic tank systems for wastewater disposal.”
Previously, WaterAid Bangladesh and Preneur Lab jointly launched a mobile app called Public Toilet Bangladesh in 2017 to help users locate public toilets in Dhaka. However, the app is no longer available on the Google Play Store. In July 2013, another initiative integrated the locations of 140 public toilets under Dhaka North City into the Shobar Dhaka app, which is still available but sees limited use today.
Most recently, in March of this year, the Public Toilet app—hosted by a2i and developed by WaterAid and SoftWorks—was updated to improve accessibility and user experience.
