Maharashtra’s government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have initiated Mumbai’s first mobile bathroom bus. It aimed to improve access to proper sanitation for women. It is one of the free hygiene facilities for women in the Kandivali locality. This specially designed vehicle is equipped with five bathrooms with required bathroom kits. It offers a safe and dignified bathing facility for poor women.
First Mobile Bathroom
A month after its launch, the initiative has gained traction, with more women availing of this free service daily. Each bathroom has a tap, bucket, hand and body wash, shampoo, shower with a geyser, and a tub.
The bus includes a flushing system that washes away excess water in only 10 minutes hence, the waiting time is minimal. The facility also offers jobs, with two women on board to run the bus.
Welfare Project of Women
The mobile bathroom project was conceptualized by Maharashtra Skill Development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha in conjunction with the District Planning Committee. It was designed by the BMC. “We realize the problem the women in slum areas have to go through to access proper bathing room facilities. This mobile bathroom service is a step towards addressing this, and we plan on extending it to other places soon,” Lodha explained to the Times of India.
The bus will run for 12 hours a day inside the Kandivali Assembly constituency. This will allow several individuals to use its five-bathroom facility. It is supplied with 2,100 liters of water, powered by generators. For a woman’s convenience, it also has two dryers for drying clothes. Each woman is given a maximum of 5 to 10 minutes, after which the water supply will automatically cease to save on water supplies.