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Tokyo's Koto Ward to Distribute Emergency Toilets to All Residents

TOKYO - Tokyo's Koto Ward will distribute portable emergency toilets to all residents to help households prepare for disasters and prevent health problems when regular sanitation systems become unusable.

Koto Mayor Tomoka Okubo displayed the planned emergency toilet kit at a regular news conference on July 8 and urged residents to reassess their disaster preparedness. "I hope the portable toilets will encourage each household to think again about how it is preparing for disasters," she said.

Each package will contain 15 portable toilets in three varieties, including types that use solidifying agents and absorbent sheets. Residents will also receive a guidebook explaining how to respond to toilet problems during a disaster and how to use the portable products.

Household toilets may become unusable during disasters because of water outages or damage to drainage systems. The ward is encouraging residents to try one of the portable toilets in advance as a form of emergency training.

The distribution is also intended to prevent disaster-related health problems. In some affected areas, evacuees have reduced their fluid intake to avoid going to the toilet, resulting in cases of chronic dehydration.

Koto Ward plans to begin delivering the kits to residents in mid-August.

Source: TOKYO MX NEWS

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