KUALA TERENGGANU – The condition of more than 61 per cent of public toilets in the country are so appalling that the authorities can no longer take the ‘stench’, so to speak. <\/p>\n
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that action needed to be taken to clean toilets. <\/p>\n
They could not wait anymore and just watch the poor state of affairs at public toilets. <\/p>\n
“How can we be proud with the statistics? Only 350 or 3.41 per cent of toilets nationwide can achieve five-star ratings, with 61 per cent below the required standard.<\/p>\n
“I reckon we can do a better job,” he said at the launch of the World Toilet Day at Batu Burok. <\/p>\n
His speech was read by the ministry’s deputy secretary-general (Urban Wellbeing) Datuk Halimi Abdul Manaf. <\/p>\n
For this reason, Rahman said, the federal government had allocated RM50 million over the last two years for local authorities to upgrade toilets. <\/p>\n
“Records show that out of the 2,620 toilets, 56.2 per cent of them can achieve only three-star status. We have since, managed to spruce up 750 of the toilets in the country,” he said. <\/p>\n
Dahlan said the plan was to have all local authority toilets to have a minimum three-star rating by the year 2020 so that there will be proper sanitation for all. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said that having realised the negative impact that unhygienic toilets had on the tourism industry, the state government had increased its annual maintenance allocation of the loo from RM5.5 million to a staggering RM71.5 million for next year. <\/p>\n
This amount is in addition to the special RM20 million allocation solely for Kemaman which is a centre for petro-chemical and other manufacturing industries, he said. <\/p>\n
“We are serious about this (ensuring public toilets are clean). We understand that smelly and unclean toilets will drive away tourists from the state. Tourism ia a top money spinner for us as we boast of idyllic islands and many other exclusive attractions like Tasik Kenyir for instance,” he said. <\/p>\n
He added that toilet cleanliness reflected how developed and matured the community was, and that hygiene had a big affect on the health and well-being of people and visitors. <\/p>\n
“The public’s apathy and attitude plays a role, too. For this reason, the state government has allocated a large budget to maintain toilets efficiently. <\/p>\n
“By doing so, we are also indirectly creating 2,500 new jobs and entrepreneurs. Additional assets like cleaning equipment and transportation facilities will be needed when new industrial and technological parks are developed. <\/p>\n
The World Toilet Organisation (WTO) said that poor sanitation kills more people than HIV\/AIDS, malaria and measles combined. <\/p>\n
The alarming WTO survey found unclean, unsafe and improper sanitation affected an estimated 2.5 billion, or one in three people worldwide; kills 1,000 children below five years daily and inflicts diseases on 88 per cent of the global population. <\/p>\n
Better sanitation supports better nutrition and improved health, especially for women and children. It also reduces healthcare costs, while proper toilet maintenance offers business opportunities. <\/p>\n
The global toilet problem is the least publicised, although many realise sanitation could change people’s live forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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