An Indian City Is Paying People to Use Its Toilets

Officials hope the offer deters public defecation in Ahmedabad
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2015 11:22 AM CDT
An Indian City Is Paying People to Use Its Toilets
An Indian woman holds a bucket and walks to relieve herself in the open on World Toilet Day on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Nov. 19, 2014.   (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Going to the bathroom isn't just universal. In one Indian city, it's also lucrative. Officials in Ahmedabad are paying residents to use public toilets in an effort to keep open areas free of urine and human waste. Their slogan: "Take a pee and get a rupee." (A rupee is equal to less than a fifth of a US cent, per Time.) The offer will be valid at 67 facilities across the city. "Once successful, the project will be implemented in all the 300 public toilets in Ahmedabad," a health officer tells AFP. UNICEF says the majority of India's population defecates in the open, even though public toilets are available. (More public toilets stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X