KL ranks among cities with fewest public toilets globally

 

CHERAS 11 JULAI 2023. Kemudahan tandas awam disediakan di D'Anjung Selera Madani Jalan Jujur, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras. NSTP/AIZUDDIN SAAD

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur has been ranked among the tourist cities with the fewest public toilets globally, trailing regional cities such as Bangkok and Hanoi, according to a British study.

The study, commissioned by bathroom retailer QS Supplies, estimated that Kuala Lumpur had 2.5 public toilets per 100,000 residents. Hanoi recorded 2.6, while Bangkok had 3.5.

At the national level, Malaysia was estimated to have 2.2 public toilets per 100,000 people across the major cities assessed — significantly lower than Thailand's 26.4 and Singapore's 14.6.

Kuala Lumpur was ranked joint 48th with Thessaloniki, Greece, among 55 tourist cities surveyed. Only Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Mexico City, Ho Chi Minh City, Buenos Aires and Cairo recorded lower figures.

Zurich topped the ranking with 76.5 toilets per 100,000 residents, followed by Lisbon with 52.5 and Sydney with 45.

However, the findings may not fully reflect toilet availability in Kuala Lumpur's shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and other commercial premises.

The study's methodology also did not specify whether toilets in privately operated premises, including the city's numerous malls, were comprehensively included.

QS Supplies said it calculated public toilet availability by analysing the number of facilities labelled as toilets on OpenStreetMap across more than 500 major global cities.

The data was combined to produce country-level figures and was accurate as of March this year, according to the study. - NST