Finding A Public Toilet In Kashmir Should Not Be A Daily Test

By Ghazi Rahil Banday

Every time I enter a public place in Kashmir, a familiar worry comes to mind: will I find a restroom I can actually use?

This question follows me everywhere, from hospitals to parks, from trains to shrines.

A toilet is a simple space. It shapes how safe, healthy, and respected people feel in any setting.

In my homeland, this basic need still feels like a promise waiting to be kept.

Government reports talk about new toilets under different schemes. Numbers look good and inaugurations get attention. The reality changes when you open the door.

Many washrooms have no water or remain locked. Cleaning happens once in a while. Responsibility fades soon after the ribbon-cutting.

The progress we read about does not match what we face every day. Hospitals show this reality more than any other place.

I have stood in SMHS and Lal Ded watching families search for a clean washroom. New mothers, still in pain, walk slowly after childbirth and find leaking pipes, broken seats, and taps that never give water.

An elder pushes a wheelchair toward a toilet, then turns away because the smell hits him before the door even opens.

Patients are already weak. One dirty bathroom can make them sicker in a single day.

Doctors and nurses often say the buildings are there. The care needed to maintain them is not.

Schools tell another part of this story.

Teachers in rural areas often say that girls skip classes during menstruation because the toilets are either unsafe or locked.

Many boys spend the day avoiding water because they do not want to use the washroom. It becomes hard to focus on lessons when a child feels uncomfortable from the inside. Even in city schools, heavy use and poor upkeep quickly turn a clean toilet into a health risk.

Attendance, confidence, and a child's growth depend on a washroom they can enter without worry.

Likewise, public parks are meant to offer relief. Families come to enjoy fresh air and a break from busy streets. They leave sooner than planned because the washrooms are either locked or too dirty to use.

I have seen tourists in Srinagar gardens search for a functional toilet, only to learn it is far from reach.

A park that fails a basic need also takes away the comfort it promises.

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