Speakers at a meeting yesterday sought government support in increasing the number of public toilets at designated spots in the capital to keep the city clean.

People usually have to suffer since there are not enough public loos and sometimes they are forced to relieve themselves on the streets, said eminent columnist Syed Abul Maksud.

It is essential for all public places to have toilet facilities, said the former vice-president of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, adding that both the public and private sectors have to come forward.

The Association for Realisation of Basic Needs (ARBAN) and WaterAid organised the meeting at The Daily Star Centre in the capital.

Nirapad Development Foundation Chairman Ibnul Syed Rana said women suffer the most for the inadequate number of public toilets as they feel uncomfortable going like men, even if it is an emergency, causing them to develop diseases of the urinary system.

He said many people in the country were interested on assisting the construction of public loos provided the government allocates some space.

Shahid Ullah Mazumder, project coordinator of Promoting Environmental Health for the Urban Poor, ARBAN, said around 55 lakh people need to use the toilet while going about their tasks every day.

However, the two city corporations have only 69 public toilets, which is insufficient, he said, adding that they launched mobile public toilet facilities in 2011 to meet some of the demand.

“Now we are providing toilet facilities to the city people through 53 mobile toilets at 34 places,” he said.

Echoing Shahid, WaterAid Programme Officer Anindita Hridita said mobile public toilet facilities were very important as those help to alleviate the shortage of permanent public toilets and help to keep the environment clean and pollution free.

“But sometimes we face difficulties from the authorities concerned to place the toilets,” she said.

Film director Noyeem Imtiaz Neamul said, “To overcome such difficulties and getting financial support, we need to include the corporate houses, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and other government stakeholders in the initiative.”

Seeking cooperation of news providers, another film director, Ashraf Shishir, said the media has an important role to play to inspire financially solvent people so that they contribute to extending public toilet facilities.