"All that we remember is the ubiquitous foul smell of Agra," said a foreign tourist George saying bye to Agra. "Obviously health and hygiene are not priority subjects for local authorities," his friend Joy added.

Even as some NGOs in the Taj city celebrated the World Toilet Day recently, to highlight the grim garbage and waste problem, large parts of the urban spread, continued to stink and emit a strange foul odor, which many visitors to the city said was nauseating and in some areas irritating.

The municipal health department denied the allegation but said it could be due to illegal dairies in congested colonies and mohallas within the city. "During winter the pollution from lakhs of vehicles, methane, carbon mono-oxide and various other gases, plus the gases released by choked sewer lines, the dusty ambiance due to lack of moisture and the thick envelope of fog, all gel together and create a dangerous mix for those suffering from respiratory disorders," explains medical professional Dr. Suraj Kumar.

Many people who have visited the city in the past have complained of a stinking odor that did not leave them as long as they were moving within the city. "For sure, there could be several reasons for this: one, the cattle sheds, the stray animals, the numerous illegal tanneries processing animal hides, the choked drains and sewer lines that are overflowing and of course the cultural habit of defecating by the road-side. Lakhs of people still prefer this mode of answering nature's call, for whatever reason," says Naresh Paras, an NGO functionary.

Last year, on persistent public demand the Agra Municipal Corporation opened eight public toilets on MG Road but the facility is still to be made available to the people. "People avoid using the Sulabh Sauchalayas, as no one wants to pay the fee for a task that could be done openly. Obviously there is no "shame shame" attached to this activity if one looked at open drains and railway lines early in the morning, with long queues of people perched like penguins, talking on mobiles or chatting while relieving themselves," comments activist Dr. Rajan Kishore.

The Agra Municipal Corporation despite funds made available under the JNNRUM, is still to fully operate the waste processing unit in Kuberpur, across the Yamuna. Each day the city generates more than 1000 tons garbage, only half is lifted and transported to the Kuberpur plant. "The result is that heaps of garbage dumps at street corners continue to attract mosquitoes and spread all kinds of diseases. The drains are choked, the sewer lines continue to overflow, as there is no water to push the sewage to one of the three treatment plants," says activist Sudhir Gupta.

Agra, city of the Taj Mahal and dotted with historical monuments that are visited by millions of tourists every year, needs at least one public toilet every kilometer, medical activists feel.

"Even the one maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Taj Mahal not only stinks but remains choked," some tourists told guide Ved Gautam.

Local residents said they were more concerned at the sorry spectacle of men and women defecating by the roadside in most parts of Agra, around historical monuments, railway tracks and public parks.

"The municipal corporation and other government bodies have shown no interest in maintaining the existing ones (toilets) and cite resource crunch as a major reason for not opening more. But this is an urgent requirement of the exploding population that needs proper and well maintained public toilets," said Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

One of the chief causes of river pollution in Agra is due to people defecating along the riverbank or on street drains that open into the Yamuna.

A group of social activists and environmentalists have appealed to the authorities to punish those who pollute the river.

Yamuna Bachao Samiti (Save Yamuna Society) members expressed concern over poor maintenance of public toilets. "Without water and regular cleanliness efforts, people have no choice but to look for alternatives," they said.

They prefer not to use the community toilets built by the Agra Municipal Corporation or the Sulabh Shauchalayas in the slum clusters. "These people have been criminally assaulting the parks and the Yamuna river. Had it not been for the stray animals, pigs, and dogs, the whole city would have been sitting on a huge mound of human excreta," said Bankey Lal Maheshwari, who runs the Sri Nathji Nishulk Jal Sewa that provides free drinking water to pedestrians through its water huts.

The Agra Nagar Nigam has a project to convert all dry latrines into flush toilets, for which Rs.2,000 has to be paid per family. But over the years despite construction of thousands of permanent latrines, people haven't changed their habits. A resident of Khandari, when asked why he didn't use the public toilets, said: "Why should we pay a rupee or two to go to the toilet when this can be done free."

"Where's the water for flushing the toilets?" asked Shravan Kumar of Kanghi Gali in Gokulpura. "When there's no water to drink or cook meals, how do you think people would clean toilets," he wondered.

What of the public toilets built on public land along roads? "They are not usable. Most are never cleaned and therefore choked and overflowing with waste. People normally prefer to use the boundary walls or the trees," explained NGO functionary Vinay Paliwal.

Doctors say lack of facilities could lead to health hazards. "Bad toilet habits and unclean toilets breed many common ailments."