NEW DELHI: Almost 90 per cent of travelers in the country find toilets at railway stations to be dirtiest apart from being smelly and unhygienic, according to a survey.
As many as 88.31 per cent travelers found toilets at railway stations to be dirty, while 74 per cent people in Kolkata said the loos in the city were “dirtiest”, and 72 per cent Mumbaikars and 47 per cent Delhiites noted that the lavatories in their cities were also smelly.
The survey was conducted by HolidayIQ.com, a travel website, to understand the current scenario and importance of clean restrooms, while traveling.
We covered six top cities taking views of about 10,000 people over the last week and released the report today on the occasion of World Toilet Day, said Nihal Shaikh of HolidayIQ.com.
The United Nations has dedicated November 19 as ‘World Toilet Day’ to focus attention on a critical health need for 2.5 billion people in developing countries, including India, for sanitary toilet conditions.
Of the 1 billion people in the world who have no toilets, India accounts for nearly 600 million.
According to the survey, people found dirty stinking loos at heritage and tourist places also, and choose or have changed their travel plans based on the restroom experience they can expect.
At least 49 per cent of travelers said they have changed their travel plans, for example from train to flight/bus, because of unhygienic toilets.
“Those who have traveled the country will understand the fuss about toilets in India too well,” Shaikh said, adding “Even at some of the world’s most frequented sightseeing sites in India, travelers often complain about standing in long lines outside stinking toilets and rank it amongst the worst tourist experiences in the world.”
Chennai accounts for 71 per cent in dirtiness quotient while Pune clocks 50 per cent followed by Hyderabad 31 per cent, the survey observed.-PTI
