MAPUSA: Renting of premises without a toilet facility is one of the reasons Mapusa is facing the problem of open defecation, and so the Mapusa Municipal Council is in planning to tackle the issue by building community and public toilets wherever land is available.
It may be recalled that the issue of open defecation was taken up during the special council meeting which was held in April wherein it was resolved to undertake audit of all public and community toilets in the town.
The council had also resolved to undertake survey of the illegal structures in the town which are rented out by landlords without providing a toilet facility.
Following this, a survey was conducted in all 20 wards of the town by the MMC officials.
The survey reveals that of the 20 wards, only three are free from open defecation – and they are ward number 3, 9, and 19. The problem is mainly in Khorlim, where around eight places were identified as open defecation areas.
The wards, where open defecation has been noticed, are those where premises are rented out to migrants without a toilet facility.
Raising a concern over the issue, the councillor Tushar Tople said that “the main trouble makers are those renting out their premises to migrants without providing them with a proper toilet facility. Hence the migrants are forced defecate in the open.”
“We have to initiate action against all those who have rented out their premises without providing toilet facility. Only then the problem will be solved completely,” added Tople.
Another councillor Rajsingh Rane, who is also representing a part of Khorlim, said that “it is not just a problem in my ward but it is a problem in the entire Mapusa and only way to solve it is by building community toilets, which can be used by these people. But the council doesn’t have its own land nor comunidade land is available, which can be used for constructing public or community toilets. Due the land constraint it is difficult to address this issue”
When contacted, MMC chairperson Sandip Falari said that “in Mapusa, the problem is due to the migrants, who are staying in rented rooms with no toilet facility provided to them by the landlords. Hence they defecate in the open. We can take action only if we can provide them with an alternative. Hence, we have decided to build public toilets or community toilets wherever open spaces are available.”
