Several Kabul residents have raised complaints about the absence of public and mobile toilets across the city, saying the problem has become one of the most pressing urban challenges facing the population. Travelers and those who come from district centers for various errands, as well as women, children, and the elderly, are said to suffer more than most from the lack of these facilities. Several doctors have meanwhile warned that the shortage of public toilets is not merely a welfare concern but a serious public health issue that can endanger both individual and community wellbeing, and create conditions for the spread of disease.
Omar, speaking under a pseudonym, says the problem has made daily life significantly harder. “When we go to markets or government offices and spend hours outside the home, there is simply no suitable place to relieve oneself,” he said. Women, children, and the elderly are disproportionately affected, he added, often left with no option but to relieve themselves roadside in deeply undignified conditions. Travelers coming from district centers, he noted, are among those most severely impacted.
Irshad Ahmad Barakzai, another Kabul resident, says the absence of mobile and public toilets has grown into one of the city’s most serious daily problems. “Many people are struggling with this,” he said. “In busy, high-traffic areas such as Deh Afghanan, Kote Sangi, and Lycée Maryam, where large numbers of people pass through every day, there is not a single public or mobile toilet available.” The lack of facilities, he noted, has led some people to relieve themselves in inappropriate locations, causing both environmental pollution and considerable distress among residents.
Barakzai called on the Taliban to install mobile and public toilets in densely populated parts of the city. “This would ease the burden on people and help preserve the dignity that God has granted to every human being,” he said.
Aziz, a doctor at a public hospital who asked to be identified only by a pseudonym, says the issue extends far beyond mere inconvenience. “When there are not enough accessible public toilets, people are forced to hold themselves for extended periods, avoid drinking water, or relieve themselves in unsanitary conditions,” he said. “This can lead to dehydration, urinary tract infections, kidney problems, constipation, and heightened stress.”
The doctor noted that women, children, and the elderly bear the greatest burden. Women face both hygiene and security risks, children face a higher likelihood of infection and impaired concentration, and the elderly contend with issues such as urinary incontinence and difficulty maintaining personal hygiene. He warned that the absence of adequate sanitation infrastructure could facilitate the spread of infectious diseases, including cholera, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, infectious diarrhea, and parasitic illnesses.
“Access to clean and safe public toilets is essential to community health, disease prevention, and human dignity,” the doctor said. “It must be recognised as a basic need.”
Sayed Mohammad Sulaimankhail, an environmental expert, says the shortage of public toilets is an increasingly serious environmental challenge in urban areas. “Kabul has a population of more than seven million people, yet the number of public toilets is extremely limited,” he said. “This leads some residents to relieve themselves in public spaces, with significant environmental and health consequences.” As temperatures rise and winds disperse airborne contamination from human waste, he added, the risks to public health grow considerably.
Sulaimankhail also warned that waste can contaminate surface water, posing risks to both humans and animals, while degrading the city’s appearance and projecting an unfavourable image of the area’s sanitary and cultural conditions.
This comes as several Kabul residents had previously told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that poor urban civic culture remains a persistent problem in the city, with some residents showing insufficient familiarity with the norms and principles of urban life.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
باشندهگان کابل: کمبود تشنابهای عمومی به یک معضل جدی شهری تبدیل شده است
