November 17th, 2006, 05:36
70 percent of Thailand's public toilets not up to WHO standards: health minister
The Associated Press
Published: November 16, 2006
BANGKOK, Thailand: Seventy percent of toilets in Thailand's gas stations, transportation hubs and other public places do not meet World Health Organization standards for cleanliness, health officials said Thursday.
But a campaign to provide the public with cleaner facilities appears to be working, Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said at the opening ceremony of the 2006 World Toilet Expo and Forum in Bangkok.
Authorities launched a clean-up campaign after randomly checking 6,149 public toilets across 12 of Thailand's 76 provinces in March and finding that 90 percent did not pass the standards for cleanliness, he said.
Inspectors found bathrooms lacking toilet paper or a bidet-like spray hose, as is common in Thailand as an alternative to paper. Facilities often lacked soap for cleaning hands and had cracked toilet covers.
A second round of inspections in November found that the percentage of dirty toilets had dropped to 70 percent, and authorities are hoping to cut the number to 60 percent in 2007, Mongkol said.
Inspections also found the majority of restrooms weren't accessible to handicapped people, and didn't pass safety standards that require separate male and female bathrooms, he said.
Efforts will focus on cleaning up washrooms at the country's Buddhist temples, he said, noting that 99 percent of the country's toilets in private households did meet international standards.
Bangkok's new international airport, Suvarnabhumi, which opened in September, has come under criticism for several reasons, including its bathroom facilities. The airport initially built 100 toilets for its more than 100,000 daily passengers, sparking long lines and complaints about dirty facilities. Authorities have said they will triple the number of toilets to 300.
International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Published: November 16, 2006
BANGKOK, Thailand: Seventy percent of toilets in Thailand's gas stations, transportation hubs and other public places do not meet World Health Organization standards for cleanliness, health officials said Thursday.
But a campaign to provide the public with cleaner facilities appears to be working, Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said at the opening ceremony of the 2006 World Toilet Expo and Forum in Bangkok.
Authorities launched a clean-up campaign after randomly checking 6,149 public toilets across 12 of Thailand's 76 provinces in March and finding that 90 percent did not pass the standards for cleanliness, he said.
Inspectors found bathrooms lacking toilet paper or a bidet-like spray hose, as is common in Thailand as an alternative to paper. Facilities often lacked soap for cleaning hands and had cracked toilet covers.
A second round of inspections in November found that the percentage of dirty toilets had dropped to 70 percent, and authorities are hoping to cut the number to 60 percent in 2007, Mongkol said.
Inspections also found the majority of restrooms weren't accessible to handicapped people, and didn't pass safety standards that require separate male and female bathrooms, he said.
Efforts will focus on cleaning up washrooms at the country's Buddhist temples, he said, noting that 99 percent of the country's toilets in private households did meet international standards.
Bangkok's new international airport, Suvarnabhumi, which opened in September, has come under criticism for several reasons, including its bathroom facilities. The airport initially built 100 toilets for its more than 100,000 daily passengers, sparking long lines and complaints about dirty facilities. Authorities have said they will triple the number of toilets to 300.
International Herald Tribune