There are only 29 public toilets in the city run by the Dhaka City Corporation and most of them are in an appalling condition, too dirty and unhygienic for use. Better toilets are available at shopping malls, community centres, cinemas, schools, colleges and workplaces but they are out of bounds for the general public.

While men sometimes don't care for decency and civilised behaviour when nature calls and can be seen urinating in public places, women are the ones who suffer most from this inhumane situation. Besides, with a large number of people living on the streets and slums, Dhaka is unbelievably ill equipped to manage the human waste as many of them use drains, manholes, water-bodies etc. as their own form of public toilet.

Gulistan is one of the city's business hubs, bustling with thousands of hawkers and floating vendors as well as pedestrians. There are only two public toilets in this area, which are unable to take the pressure of such a large volume of people.

Pedestrians, hawkers, beggars and rickshawpullers are often found answering the call of nature by the roadside as they can hardly afford to wait in long queues at the public toilets.

In the DCC's budget for the 2002-2003 fiscal year, Tk 3 crore was allocated for construction and renovation of public toilets. The DCC received Tk 94 lakh in revenue from public toilet use in 2001-2002 and has set a target of earning Tk one crore this fiscal year.

However, the corporation acknowledges the shortage of toilets for city dwellers.

"The number of public toilets is really inadequate to meet the requirements of a megacity. We have already taken initiatives to conduct a survey on possible spots for setting up new toilets," said estate officer Fazle Elahi.

"It's a very lengthy process setting up public toilets under the management of the City Corporation. If private entrepreneurs were allowed to build toilets on DCC's land, things would have been a lot easier," he added.

Allegations abound that some of the DCC's toilets have become popular refuges for anti-social elements such as drug-peddlers and criminals. The terrible state of hygiene is another reason why no sane person enters them.

The DCC leases out each public toilet for Tk 10,000 to Tk five lakh to local businesses. But many complain that no basic services are provided at the toilets.

"There is no water inside. We have to carry water from outside to use the toilets," said Lokman, a rickshawpuller in front of the public toilet at New Market.

However, supervisors of New Market and Gulistan public toilets say that they try to ensure cleanliness and service for the users. " We clean the toilets twice a day as around 200-250 people use each toilet every day," said Montu Mia, supervisor of New Market public toilet.

The public toilets in Dhaka are a serious health hazard. The ammonia that builds up from urine in unwashed toilets can cause lung and kidney problems. Dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid and various air-, water- and bacteria-borne diseases are commonly spread from these toilets.