Cities are constructing public, private, and community toilets to improve sanitation access. However, many of these facilities fail to remain functional over time. Poor operation, inadequate maintenance, governance gaps, or design and construction flaws often cause these toilets to become non-functional, abandoned, or lost. This leads to repeated investments, which represent a huge financial loss and undermine the goal of sustainable sanitation. Globally, millions of toilets face this challenge. Studies show that over 1.2 million school toilets across Ecuador, India, Nigeria, and the Philippines are no longer functional, representing billions of dollars in wasted investment. Similar patterns are observed in public toilets across urban China and other countries. Evidence shows that scale of this challenge is far greater than previously understood. Toilet Loss Study, 427 million children worldwide go to school without a usable toilet. 205 million of them attend schools where toilets exist but cannot be used. Since 2015, 6.2 million school toilets have been lost globally, equal to 14% of all school toilets. This represents an astonishing US$18.5 billion in wasted infrastructure investment, or 10% of all global spending on school sanitation. If toilets had been maintained instead of neglected, the world today would have 2.6 million more usable toilets and would be 5% closer to achieving universal access.
The economic impacts go far beyond infrastructure loss. Because children fall sick more often when toilets are unusable, caregivers lose workdays, leading to an additional US$34 billion in global economic losses since 2015. This reflects healthcare costs, lost productivity, and missed opportunities in sanitation-related employment.
Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, universal access to safely managed sanitation, requires massive investment, potentially billions of dollars. However, repeated loss of built toilets hinders progress, as resources are spent on reconstruction rather than expansion, innovation, or sustainability. Understanding why toilets are lost and ensuring their long-term functionality is therefore critical to reaching SDG 6.2 and building resilient, inclusive sanitation systems.
City-San Connect is a quarterly webinar series launched by ITN-BUET under the Sani Repo platform. It aims to foster cross-city learning and collaboration by bringing together local governments, WASH professionals, development partners, and researchers to discuss real challenges and practical solutions in urban sanitation. Each session combines expert presentations, city case studies, and interactive discussions, hosted in partnership with national and international collaborators.
In celebration of World Toilet Day, this special City-San Connect session shines a spotlight on the issue of “Toilet Lost,” why toilets fail to last, and how cities can sustain them for the long term. The theme resonates strongly with this year’s global call to action for sustainable sanitation for all, emphasizing that building toilets is not enough; keeping them functional is what truly drives progress toward SDG 6.2.
This Session’s Focus: Vanishing Toilets. The upcoming session will explore why public, private, and community toilets are being lost and how cities can ensure their sustainability. Participants will learn:
Why toilets fail despite significant investment.
How governance, financing, maintenance, and user engagement affect sustainability.
Lessons from cities and communities that have successfully maintained toilets.
Practical strategies to reduce repeated costs and maximize investment impact.
This 90-minute virtual session will feature presentations from national and international experts, followed by interactive discussions and Q&A.
Yashodha Shrestha
CEO, Triangle Solutions
Topic: From Facilities to Functionality: Triangle Solutions’ Journey Toward Resilient Public Sanitation Systems in Nepal
Babul Bala
Programme Lead, WaterAid Bangladesh
Topic: Transforming Public Sanitation in Bangladesh: WaterAid’s System-Based Approach to Sustainable Services
Md Masudul Islam
Chief Operation Officer, Bhumijo
City-San Connect links cities through shared learning. This session will help participants:
Understand the root causes of toilet loss and strategies to prevent it
Explore sustainable sanitation models and innovations
Share experiences and solutions from their own cities
Build partnerships with other cities, institutions, and professionals
Access session recordings and high-quality content via the SaniRepo digital library
It is a platform for inspiration, exchange, and actionable learning open to all stakeholders committed to stronger, smarter, and more sustainable sanitation systems.
Theme: From Toilet Lost to Toilet Legacy: Building Systems That Last
Date: Sunday, November 30, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (GMT+6)
Platform: Zoom | Hosted by ITN-BUET
Zoom ID: 916 1643 9128
As we celebrate World Toilet Day, City-San Connect invites everyone to look beyond construction and focus on what truly matters: toilets that last, serve, and empower communities. Every toilet tells a story of dignity, health, and human rights, but too many of these stories end too soon. This special session is a call to rethink how cities build, manage, and sustain sanitation facilities. Let’s discover why toilets disappear, learn from cities that are making them last, and co-create ideas that can turn short-term projects into long-term impact. Join us to be part of a global conversation that transforms “toilet lost” into “toilet legacy.” Together, we can make every toilet built a lasting step toward equity, resilience, and SDG 6.2.
K. A. Amin
Knowledge Management Specialist
ITN-BUET
Email: [email protected]
Web: itn.buet.ac.bd
November 30 @ 11:00 am UTC+6
November 30 @ 12:30 pm UTC+6
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