Six months after the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day, mobile squat toilets are still being used in many evacuation centres. This is causing a lot of stress for elderly evacuees, who struggle to have the strength in their knees to use these toilets.
There are increasing reports of deteriorating health of evacuees due to this inconvenience.
Despite recommendations from the Ministry of Agriculture to install Western-style toilet seats, a survey by a nonprofit organization found that 85% of the toilets in shelters in the cities of Wajima and Nanao in Ishikawa Prefecture — some of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake — were squat toilets.
