Google Maps Adds Over 45,000 Toilets in Indian Government’s 'Loo Review' Campaign

Google Maps has added more than 45,000 community and public toilets as part of the Central government's "Loo Review" campaign, according to media reports. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs joined hands with Google to launch the Loo Review campaign in September 2018 to encourage all local guides in India to rate and review public toilets on Google Maps.

The official data, mentioned during Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech earlier in July, showed that the toilet locator feature on the app has witnessed monumental growth, reports added.

As many as 45,000 toilets cover 1,700 cities in India, however, the Centre has not shared the data of the rural toilets shown on the app.

The campaign is part of a feature which allows all citizens to locate public toilets in their cities on Google Maps, Google Search and the Assistant and also provide feedback on the same.

“The ‘Public toilets near me' feature will benefit citizens, particularly women and senior citizens, who often find it difficult to find access to clean toilets in the public space,” Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, had said in a statement announcing the Loo Review campaign in September last year. “The feedback provide by local guides through the Loo Review campaign will press upon the Urban Local Bodies to take proactive steps to improve public toilet facilities across the country.”

Written with inputs from IANS