Plumbing and sanitation leader IAPMO India lends support to Woloo, an innovative app that increases women's access to safe public toilets
MUMBAI, India, Feb. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH), the non-profit arm of International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) India, has lent support to Woloo, a start-up company whose app aims to improve access to clean, safe and hygienic public toilets for urban women in India.
Available on Android devices and soon to be rolled out to iOS, the app helps women locate the nearest washroom when they are away from their home or office. The initiative is supported by IAPMO India’s Start-Up Sahay program, which aims to promote Indian start-ups developing innovative water and sanitation technologies.
The mission of Woloo is to provide world-class access to hygiene facilities for women of all ages and diversities across India. Each Woloo-enabled washroom follows a standard protocol to ensure hygiene and accessibility, which is based on Toilet Board Coalition‘s guidelines and the parameters of the Woloo Assurance of Hygiene (WAH).
Currently, Woloo maintains more than 1,200 washrooms across Mumbai and Pune with plans to expand to other Indian cities.
In addition to the certified washrooms, Woloo is also introducing Woloo Powder Rooms: comprehensive women-oriented facilities which are equipped with smart toilets, a café, and a retail outlet with women-centric products. In association with Mumbai Metro One, Woloo’s first Powder Room Lounge was inaugurated at the Ghatkopar Metro station on January 30, 2022 by Quaiser Khalid, Railway Police Commissioner.
Through the Start-up Sahay program, IAPMO India and IWSH donated funding for 1,000 annual subscriptions to the Woloo app for women members of Mumbai’s Railway police force (access to Woloo is currently available for INR 99 monthly or INR 365 annually). They are also contributing towards a public relations campaign promoting the Woloo Powder Room in the Ghatkopar Metro station in Mumbai.
With the support of partners like Ashirvad Pipes, Cera India and A.O. Smith India, IAPMO India also donated safe and certified quality toilet hardware to Woloo.
“Lack of access to proper sanitation for women, especially away from home, has remained a difficult problem to solve, leading to immense anxiety and a high incidence of diseases,” said Dr. Nimish Shah, Managing Director of IAPMO India Pvt. Ltd. “Woloo is a promising women’s hygiene and sanitation access platform that is taking this challenge head on, and IWSH and IAPMO India are proud to partner with the company in its mission. We believe that quality, certified hardware underpins the durability of improved sanitation, and Woloo powder rooms are perfect venues to demonstrate well-designed, hygienic public toilets.”
IAPMO India Private Limited (known as IAPMO India) was founded in 2007 with offices at Bengaluru and Pune. In partnership with the Indian Plumbing Association (IPA), IAPMO India has developed comprehensive plumbing codes for India, as well as training and education programs for code-based plumbing installations and maintenance in India. This team of experts have also developed a water-efficient ratings scheme to reduce water usage through efficient fixtures, as well as mechanical and product certification services. IAPMO’s globally recognized mark of conformity and certification program is the trusted mark for plumbing and mechanical products within India.
The non-profit arm of IAPMO, the IWSH Foundation exists to help enhance the role of the plumbing industry in community collaborations and educational exchanges globally. Since our creation in 2016, IWSH has assembled teams of skilled volunteers to tackle design and construction projects that improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene for communities in need.
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