The DCC, which has failed to find lands for constructing 66 out of 100 public toilets under a plan, is now desperately looking for lands to build the rest of the toilets.

This acute inadequacy of toilets leads many males to urinate in any corner of the city creating public nuisance, and women suffer more leading to serious health complications.

Prof Abdus Salam, an urologist, said, "If urine is kept unreleased by force for a long time it may enlarge and weaken the urine bladder. It also creates pressure on kidneys."

Toilet crisis has long been a severe problem for the city dwellers and it is more serious for women. The female workers and students face the problem in offices, garment factories, educational institutions and public places, Prof Salam said.

DCC officials said they had planned to construct 100 new public toilets in the city but failing to find suitable places they have constructed only 34. Of them, 22 have already been handed over to lessees and the rest will be handed over soon.

But these new toilets are yet to be in service and the city residents have to depend on the old eight toilets, which are in a very bad shape. The DCC officials said the new toilets will be opened soon after some finishing work.

Sources said the sites for constructing the new public toilets were selected without considering the public need. Such toilets have been constructed at Sayedabad and Karwan Bazar where there were already public toilets.

Besides, the quality of the work was not up to the mark, said a DCC official. The fittings used in these toilets are sub-standard and water lines are faulty, he said. The contractors handed over the toilets to the Estate Department of DCC in June this year.

When asked about the crisis of public toilets, DCC Chief Estate Officer Abu Taleb said: "I agree that the existing public toilets are inadequate to meet the city dwellers' need. We could not construct the 100 toilets due to lack of suitable places."

Another source said the Good Governance and Development Committee of the Prime Minister's Office will ask the Dhaka district administration and DCC to find out lands for constructing the rest of the toilets.