Toilets Modernised for 2010 European Capital of Culture

Fourteen years ago, Habip formed an association for modernisation, improvement of standards and the increase of use of qualified materials for public restrooms. From then on, he says, he has long been an advocate of clean toilets in Turkey. His union is a member of the World Toilet Organization (WTO), founded in Singapore in 2001 by Jack Sim.

The WTO is committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions worldwide. Habip hosted Sim last year in Turkey and they worked together on reforms for public toilets in Turkey. Every year, the WTO holds a symposium in a different member country. Habip plans to organize the 2009 World Toilet Summit in Turkey.

Emin Çakmak is the Turkey representative of the Inaugural General Assembly of the World Toilet Association, founded in Korea in 2006 by Sim Jae-Duck. The assembly is certified by the UN, supported by UNICEF and has branch offices in 56 countries. In fact, the founder of the association is so enthusiastic about toilets that he lives in a toilet-shaped house.

Toilet institutions should be established
Habip's main complaint revolves around the unsanitary conditions of public restrooms, which he says has two causes. First, tourists do not share the Turkish toilet culture and are unaware of how to use the traditional Turkish squat toilet. The second issue, he says, is that mosque charities want to profit from mosque toilets.

Habip feels it is wrong to collect a fee from these "public" toilets. He suggests that the Directorate of Religious Affairs should undertake the costs of maintaining these toilets, especially in tourist sites. Similarly, Çakmak notes that the restroom situation does not comply with Islamic rules because the toilets are not clean. He added that water heated to 35 degrees Celsius needs to be used in order for microbes to be killed, but that water at this temperature is rarely found.

According to a study conducted by UNICEF, 35 percent of infant deaths are caused by parasites found in toilets. Habip stressed that Muslims should set a good example of cleanliness and a way to do this is by paying much attention to the issue of hygiene in public restrooms. "People already pay taxes. No extra money is necessary to keep the toilets clean." He claims that people do not pay to use toilets at places of worship in any other place in the world and that it cannot be considered acceptable to collect money for toilets in a country whose population mostly comprises Muslims. Habip emphasized that a financial source and coordination center should be formed as part of an institution founded by the Directorate of Religious Affairs and related ministries. "In this way, restrooms, which are supposed to be cleaned in shifts, will be more hygienic and clean and satisfy people's needs."

Habip is also concerned about the lack of interest from local governments. He has corresponded with various organizations, hoping to make toilets free in metros, train stations, museums and at airports. These efforts have paid off as the practice of charging for restroom use has been withdrawn at airports and museums. His organization also got in touch with the Handicapped People's Union to cooperate in developing standards for toilets for the handicapped, though results are yet to materialize.

Çakmak approaches the issue differently. He emphasized that hygiene alone is not enough but that accessibility by the elderly and handicapped are of importance. By taking these issues into consideration, Çakmak and his colleagues have prepared projects based on standards applied in North Korea. For example, he has signed a protocol with the mayor of İstanbul's Şişli municipality, Mustafa Sarıgül, to build a public restroom in Maçka Park. Similarly, he has agreed with Yalova Mayor Barbaros Binicioğlu for another project near the İDO docks. He stated that his main duty is to give project support to the municipalities that want to build clean restrooms and to control the undertaking of projects.

Habip added that there are no restrooms available in tourist sites such as beaches, ski slopes and on Mount Nemrut. If they do exist, they are not hygienic. This is caused by inappropriate infrastructure; however, there is an alternative to solve the problem: portable toilets. Habip leases portable toilets, a relatively new concept in Turkey. He criticizes the government for spending a large amount of money on tourism and not using any of it to improve public restroom facilities. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism should address this issue, he says.

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