Over 95% of Bengaluru’s public toilets unusable for persons with disabilities

A comprehensive public toilet audit conducted by the Area Sabhas of the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP) has revealed a deep civic failure in the city’s sanitation infrastructure, exposing serious gaps in accessibility, safety, hygiene, transparency and sustainability across Bengaluru’s public toilets. The audit report was carried out between November 2025 and January 2026 and the key findings of the audit were handed over to the GBA Chief Commissioner.

The audit covered 38 public toilet facilities across 21 wards in Bengaluru. The findings show that while most toilets are technically “open”, usability, dignity and safety for citizens remain alarmingly poor. Bengaluru’s public toilets may be available on paper, but in reality, they systematically exclude women, persons with disabilities, elderly citizens and transgender persons.

“The (RPwD) Act 2016 states that public toilets must be accessible, barrier-free, and designed to cater to the needs of persons with disabilities. Additionally, in January 2025, the Supreme Court of India declared that access to clean, functional, and safe public toilets is a fundamental right under Article 21. Bengaluru’s public toilets reflect the state of our governance, built without planning, run without accountability, and ignored until citizens speak up. Toilets are sanctioned, contracts are signed, money is spent, but dignity is missing on the ground.

This audit exposes a system that works on files, not for people. The solution lies in ward-level accountability through functional Area Sabhas, where citizens can monitor services, flag failures, and demand action. Clean and safe public toilets require clear ward-level ownership, regular inspections, transparent contracts, and daily maintenance — not one-time construction. BNP is demanding ward-wise accountability, time-bound repairs, and maintenance through citizen-led oversight.” said, Srikanth Narasimhan, Founder & General Secretary, BNP

The public toilet audit additionally revealed that only 17 of the 38 toilets surveyed, or 44.7 per cent, are fully functional and usable, while 10.5 per cent are completely non-functional or closed. Nearly 55 per cent of toilets are either partially functional, poorly maintained or effectively unusable despite being officially listed as “open”.

The findings point to a near total exclusion of persons with disabilities, with over 95 per cent of toilets inaccessible in practice, 92 per cent having steps blocking entry, and none equipped with usable ramps. Toilets designated for PwDs were frequently found locked or used as storage, leaving only four facilities, or eight per cent, even partially accessible. The audit also found zero dedicated toilets for transgender persons across all 21 wards, forcing transgender users in every surveyed location to use women’s toilets, raising serious concerns around dignity and personal safety.

“At a time when Bengaluru is reportedly considering skipping Swachh Sarvekshan, BNP’s public toilet audit exposes what such a move would conceal widespread dysfunction, inaccessibility, and neglect in basic sanitation services. Our public toilet audit across 21 wards shows a hard truth: Bengaluru’s public toilets are largely unusable, unsafe, and inaccessible, especially for women, persons with disabilities, and transgender citizens. A toilet being ‘open’ does not mean it is usable.

“When over 95% of facilities exclude PwDs and basic safety and hygiene are missing, it becomes a question of dignity, public health, and governance failure,” said Lalithamba B V, BNP Governing Council (GC) Member & Zonal Leader (Bommanahalli). The audit further highlighted severe gender imbalance, hygiene failures, environmental neglect and governance lapses across the city. Women’s facilities were typically available in a 1:4 ratio compared to men, with many women’s toilets locked, non-functional or unhygienic, and no bathing facilities, changing rooms or childcare spaces available for women in any of the toilets audited.

Safety concerns for women were reported in 71 per cent of facilities, while only 15 per cent had a female caretaker; CCTV cameras were present in just seven per cent of toilets, emergency contact details were rarely displayed, and poor internal and external lighting further exacerbated safety risks.

Hygiene conditions posed clear public health threats, with 76 per cent of toilets having overflowing or unsegregated waste bins, over 95 per cent lacking proper solid waste segregation and relying on a single open bin for all waste, 40 per cent reporting wet or slippery floors, 28 per cent persistent odour, and none consistently providing soap or handwash.

Environmental sustainability was entirely absent, with no toilet equipped with solar lighting or rainwater harvesting, all 38 facilities dependent on tanker water, over 80 per cent reporting leakage issues and 15 per cent showing active water wastage, while fewer than five per cent had any water conservation measures in place. The audit also noted an acute lack of public toilets and poor visibility or identification of facilities in several wards including Yelenahalli, Bellandur, Nagvarpalya, Kudlu and Hosapalya. Despite being managed by BBMP, private contractors, NGOs, CSR initiatives and resident welfare associations, outcomes remained uniformly poor across facilities.