Google App Helps Find Toilets Nearby: A Step Towards Clean India

Taking a step towards making India cleaner, Minister of Urban Development (MoUD) M. Venkaiah Naidu launched a Google Map toilet locator.

Minister of Urban Development (MoUD) M. Venkaiah Naidu launched a Google Map toilet locator to help people find access to clean public restrooms, taking a step towards making India cleaner.

The app, designed by Google, will make information available through a mobile application about thousands of public toilets throughout two locations now -- Delhi NCR and Madhya Pradesh.

Lack of Toilets and Clean Water Stunts Millions of Indian Children
India has more stunted children than Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Republic of Congo combined, with 48 million under the age of five.

‘When you search for 'public toilet' on Google Maps in an area where the service is available, you'll see a list of restrooms near you, including the respective address and opening hours.’

Naidu at the launch said that 504 cities and towns, which also include four million-plus cities, have achieved the status of being free of open defecation, and a total of 739 cities and towns have committed themselves to achieve the status by March next year.

He said that Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim have declared all cities and towns Open Defecation Free (ODF), while Kerala is set to become ODF by March 2018.

The app will have listings covering Delhi NCR, including Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida and Faridabad, and Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Toilets can be located not just through the app, but on the desktop as well.

Roman Toilets Had No Clear Health Benefits, Led to Gradual Rise in Intestinal Worms
A new study has revealed that intestinal parasites gradually increased in Roman times rather than decreasing.

Google, the technology and software giant, which built the app working in tandem with the Urban Development Ministry, will work closely with the ministry to keep adding to the maps the data location regarding address and opening hours of over 4,000 communal and public restrooms.

"When you search for 'public toilet' on Google Maps in an area where the service is available, you'll see a list of restrooms near you, including the respective address and opening hours," Sanket Gupta, Product Manager, Google Maps, said in a statement.

Hema Malini Urges Young Girls to Create Awareness On Toilets
Actress and BJP Lok Sabha member Hema Malini has urged young girls to encourage their elders to use toilets to sanitation problems across the country.

"For instance, if you're travelling on the National Highway 8 in Gurugram, locating a public toilet can be challenging and most often the only option is going to nearby restaurants and cafes. Having this information handy can make things much easier," he added.

This service will be accessible to users both in English and Hindi language.

Thiruvananthapuram-based Company Launches a Mobile App for Locating EToilets
etoilet app helps in locating the nearest etoilet and also one can share feedback about the experience of using etoilet.

Source-IANS