The Chennai Corporation has installed a temporary toilet for the disabled at a cost of 12 lakh near the disabled walkway on Marina Beach. According to a Corporation official, the toilet would be functional for the next nine months and then based on user experience, would be replaced with a more permanent structure. However, the permanent structure would not be constructed using cement according to the Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines.
The temporary toilet of European style is accessible by a ramp and has horizontal hand bars for support, and a regular supply of water and drainage system. It has been placed near the ramp constructed for the disabled for convenience.
Sudha Ramamoorthy, member, Disabled Rights Alliance, says that the permanent toilet on the beach needs to allow for bilateral transfer onto a wheelchair. Bilateral transfer enables a wheelchair-user to transfer from the closet to the wheelchair from both left and right sides depending on the preferential use of their hands. “All toilets must enable bilateral transfer and it is a basic minimum at the beach”, she says and adds that the Corporation has agreed to keep this in mind
Changing Place Toilets (CTPs), a standard in the United Kingdom, is another demand from the disabled community. A CTP provides for a bench for the person to change their clothes, diapers or place their urine bags, space for carers and hand bars and is especially beneficial to those suffering from spinal injuries.
Both the CTPs and bilateral transfer require more space and also to manoeuvre a wheelchair.
