When it comes to hygiene, Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), whose toilets are undergoing renovation, leaves much to be desired. Washrooms are available on levels P6 to P10 of T2, while Terminal 1 has a single washroom near the food court of the arrival gate of the airport. When mid-day visited the airport this week to take stock of the conditions of the washrooms, it was evident that they were not exactly what a visitor would expect from a world-class airport.
This is not insignificant, as the airport, on a daily basis, sees thousands of passengers, and many are accompanied by family members or friends who come to drop them off. Given the high volume of users, the importance of regularly sanitising toilets cannot be understated. Significantly, no sanitary product dispensers were installed in the washroom of either terminal.
Terminal 2
A Polish tourist, requesting anonymity, told this reporter, “I had heard of many amazing things about the Mumbai airport from friends who had visited India, and it has, for the most part, lived up to the hype. The only thing that has not been up to my expectations is the washrooms; they were dirty, while the floor was wet, and there was no tissue paper in the holder.”
A women’s washroom, which was dirty, at Terminal 2’s P6 level. PICS/Madhulika Ram Kavattur
These subpar conditions are not limited to the women’s washroom. “I often visit the international airport to pick up and drop off family members, and one of the biggest issues I’ve consistently noticed is the lack of hygiene in the public toilets. Given that it’s an international airport, you’d expect the facilities to be clean and well-maintained, but unfortunately, that’s not the case,” said Wasim Athaniya, a traveller.
Clean washroom for women on Terminal 2’s P7 level. (right) Women’s washroom at T1, which was hygenic
Another woman who had just gotten off a flight from Delhi said, “The washrooms inside are amazing. It is just the washroom at the P6 level’s east exit that I found a little dirty. I understand that thousands of visitors come here every day, but when the inside washrooms are clean and perfect, I think the outside ones are also to be maintained the same way.”
Terminal 1
The washrooms at the domestic airport, which mid-day visited on a rainy Friday, were mostly dry and stocked with tissue paper. A visitor, requesting anonymity, said, “I am waiting for my brother to return from a trip.
Though I was very sceptical about using the washrooms here, it took me by surprise how clean the washrooms looked compared to those of Terminal 2.” Another traveller echoed this opinion, stating, “Terminal 2 is used by thousands of passengers every day, along with many relatives who come to drop off their family and friends. It is only fair to expect that the public toilets outside the airport are well-maintained. However, to my shock, they were in poor condition. These facilities should be cleaned and maintained at least once every hour, similar to the standard followed in malls.
An airport source told mid-day that efforts were being taken to keep the washrooms clean. “Washroom attendants work in eight-hour shifts. I can’t speak for everyone, but the few I know take their job seriously.”
One traveller stated that over a period lasting half an hour, there was no attendant near the women’s washrooms. The source added, “The L7 washrooms are already renovated and multiple passengers go out of their way to go to them.” mid-day contacted the CSMIA via emails, messages and calls for a comment, but received no reply by press time.
