- Bengaluru audit found over 25% of public toilets non-functional and poorly maintained
- Only 6 of 142 toilets surveyed met cleanliness standards, 58% had foul odours
- 56% of toilets had adequate lighting, raising safety concerns for women at night
A citizen-led audit of public toilets across Bengaluru has painted a concerning picture of the Bengaluru city's sanitation infrastructure, with more than one in four public toilets found to be non-functional and only a handful meeting acceptable cleanliness standards.
The Bengaluru Public Toilet Audit Report 2026, released by the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), assessed 142 public toilets across the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits. As per the team, the audit was conducted during April and May this year, the audit examined the functionality, hygiene, accessibility, safety and overall user experience of public toilets.
The report notes that despite Bengaluru's population crossing 1.4 crore, public sanitation infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the city's rapid growth. According to the report, Bengaluru currently has only 800-900 public toilets, with 479 officially listed under the GBA, translating to roughly one public toilet for every 25,000 to 30,000 residents.
The findings reveal that 37 of the 142 public toilets surveyed, accounting for 26 per cent, were completely non-functional. Only six toilets, or 4.2 per cent, were rated as very clean, while 58 per cent suffered from persistent foul odour.
The audit also raises safety concerns, stating that only 56 per cent of the toilets had adequate lighting, making many facilities unsafe, particularly for women during evening hours.
Accessibility remains another major issue. The report found that only nine toilets were equipped with ramps, leaving nearly 94 per cent inaccessible to persons with disabilities. Water was available in only around 40 per cent of the functional toilets surveyed, while none had soap dispensers or dustbins.
The survey further revealed that only 15 per cent of caretakers were women, and information regarding contractors and user charges was largely absent, reducing transparency and public accountability.
According to the report, Bengaluru's sanitation challenge is no longer limited to building more toilets but ensuring that existing facilities remain functional, hygienic, inclusive and properly maintained.
To address these issues, B.PAC has recommended a 30-day emergency repair drive to restore all non-functional toilets. It has also called for the creation of a dedicated Public Toilet Management Cell under the Greater Bengaluru Authority to oversee planning, monitoring and maintenance.
The organisation has urged authorities to replace construction-only contracts with five-year Operate and Maintain (O&M) contracts linked to strict performance monitoring.
B.PAC says Bengaluru urgently requires more than 1,000 additional modern public toilets to meet the needs of its growing population. He urged the Karnataka government and the Greater Bengaluru Authority to develop the facilities through both government funding and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models.
B.PAC CEO Revathi Ashok said "public toilets are an essential civic necessity that directly impacts public health, women's safety and human dignity, adding that a global city like Bengaluru cannot afford to neglect such basic infrastructure".
