State-of-the-art toilets for KL

Star: PAYING RM1 to use an air-conditioned fully-automated street toilet (AST) for 15 minutes is set to be a new experience for Malaysians and tourists soon.
Twenty of the hi-tech toilets made by GBH Bhd will be placed at various parts of Kuala Lumpur soon, two of them in the Jalan Bukit Bintang area by the end of this month.
The automatic street toilet measures 2.25m x 6.2m and is 2.6m high and weighs about 3.5 tonnes.
Users will need to slot in coins, amounting to RM1, to use the toilet.
However, users should take note that the automatic door will open by itself once the 15 minutes are up.
GBH group general manager Tan Ah Cheun said a pre-recorded verbal warning would be given at the 14th minute.
“Any user who needs to stay longer than 15 minutes will have to come out of the cubicle and pay another RM1, provided there are no users waiting to get in.
“Otherwise, common courtesy will need to prevail and it might be a matter of who needs it more urgently,” said Tan.
He said Kuala Lumpur City Hall has ordered 20 units of the AST and the first two would be located at the Jalan Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur.
Tan said the sitting pan has an automatic seat cleaner that would wash, scrub and dry the pan after every use.
The same cleansing will be applied to the squatting pan while the floor of the entire toilet would be automatically washed after every five users.
Each cubicle comes with a seated toilet and a squat toilet and is also disabled friendly and big enough to accommodate a wheelchair.
Users with children up to six years old could enter the cubicle at the same time, said Tan, adding that the cubicle also included a baby nappy changing station and a juvenile waiting seat with a strap-on seat belt.
Tan said GBH has recommended to the authorities that every AST be manned by a janitor.
“Each cubicle is equipped with an emer- gency button and the user will be able to communicate with the janitor upon activating the button.
“Every assistance, including opening the door from the outside, will then be provided,” explained Tan.
He said GBH has recommended that the standard operating hours for each AST to be between 7.30am and 11.30pm with provisions for extension.