Thiruvananthapuram: The toilet and resting station inside Palayam's Connemara market have turned unusable. The fisherwomen are the worst hit as they have no other option but to use the unclean toilets in the market. "We would not have used the toilets if our homes were not too far. To get to my home, I need to pay Rs 100 for an auto. The toilets have broken tiles too," says Sindhu Johnny, a vendor. The resting station, named 'Sedhika', is not used by more than two or three women, say the vendors in the market. There is no cot or bed inside the shelter. There is no fan as well. Despite all its shortcomings, its fee is fixed at Rs 10. Some women come as early as 5 am and would be in the market till 8 pm. Despite spending long hours in the market, they prefer staying put where they sell their fish.
Back pain woes: SEWA state committee member Seeta Dasan says, "80% of the women who sell fish here complain of urinary tract infection and abdominal pain. At Kumarichantha near Ambalathara, women have complained of toilets sans water. Many public toilets are locked from the outside." While Connemara market has a roof for the women to sit under, the women sit straight under the sun at markets like Edappazhanji. Many also have eyesight issues, according to Seeta. The situation is worse for vendors who don't sit inside markets. Leela L., who sells fruits on the road leading to Chalai market, covers her wares with a sack and walks at least a 100 m for the nearest toilet facility. Some women use toilets only at hotels from where they have their lunch.
Corporation plans to set up e-toilets near city markets
The city corporation is planning to set up e-toilets at main junctions close to markets. The project is estimated to cost Rs 50 lakh. Corporation officials are finalising the list of sites where the toilets are needed the most. "The project has got administrative and technical sanction. We reckon that such units can come up at least at seven places," says K. Sreekumar, who chairs the health standing committee. One set of e-toilets is roughly estimated to cost around Rs 7 lakh.
The toilets won't be inside markets, but outside, so that it will be useful to most people. Officials say that the sites will be spaces where a lot of people, especially women, gather. Most markets in Thiruvananthapuram lack clean toilets for the women vendors. In a recent study by Recycle Bin, a city-based group of urban designers, it turned out that quite a few toilets did not have separate toilets for women. Moreover, it was found that women would avoid those offering no privacy, even if there was a separate section for woman toilets. Now health inspectors and green army volunteers are preparing a list of ideal locations.
