You can now locate public toilets in Mumbai on Google Maps

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently finished mapping 3,465 toilets across Mumbai on Google Maps.

Looking for a public toilet near you? Just check on Google Maps on your mobile phone.

The application will not only show the nearest toilet, but will also give details of the time till which they will remain open. (FILE)

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently finished mapping 3,465 toilets across Mumbai on Google Maps. These include more than 800 public toilets, pay-and-use toilets, toilets handed over to NGOs and contractors for maintenance, and those at petrol pumps, state transport stops, railway stations, government offices, and parks.

The application will not only show the nearest toilet, but will also give details of the time till which they will remain open. The geotagging will help you know the time that will be required to reach the spot and shortest route, with live traffic updates.

A senior civic official said, “We have managed to tag most of the toilets. It was a time-bound project, and we needed it to be ready before the Swachch Sarvekshan. We had about two months to complete it.”

This is the second time BMC has attempted to map public toilets for Internet users. In 2017, the civic body launched an android mobile application called Mumbai Toilet Locator, mapping 800 public toilets. Still functional, it has over a thousand downloads. According to the civic body, citizens’ response to the app was low, which is why, acting on the Centre’s directives, they tagged it on Google Maps.

According to the Central government directives, all cities are mandated to map public utility places such as railway stations, hospitals, and most importantly public toilets.