Q. India has made great gains in providing basic sanitation facilities since the start of the millennium. In this context, highlight the various issues which need to be solved in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to achieve its objective and not just the targets.
Q. India has made great gains in providing basic sanitation facilities since the start of the millennium. In this context, highlight the various issues which need to be solved in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to achieve its objective and not just the targets.
Approach:
- You can briefly highlight the achievements of SBA and mention some facts.
- Try to highlight various issues which are now relevant and should be improved to further make the mission successful.
- Give a way forward.
India’s Swachh Bharat mission has been an example and an inspiration to other countries, especially in Africa, but also East and South Asia. The country is responsible for almost single-handedly dragging the world towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal of ending open defecation. A monitoring report by United Nation organizations
Released recently shows that India’s progress with respect to providing basic sanitation
Facilities accounts for almost two thirds of the 650 million people globally who have stopped practicing open defecation between 2000 and 2017.
But still the job is half done as the main aim of the mission is not to build toilets but a behavioral change. Also many other issues have come to light as toilets are now more easily available now. Various issues which needs to be tackled to long term sustainability and improvements.
- Disposal of solid and liquid waste: The next big goal on the Swachh Bharat journey should be 100% safe and scientific disposal of solid and liquid waste as the millions of new toilets which mark the progress of the Swachh Bharat mission are, producing large amounts of solid and liquid waste and India does not have the ability to treat and dispose it off safely.
- Mindset change: mindset change is the other major ingredient required for sustained progress in sanitation. The swachhagraha or village level ambassadors who have already been recruited for Phase 1 of the programme are key to maintaining momentum in keeping with its overall thrust on leveraging behavioural economics.
- Investment in the toilet and sanitation infrastructure: Attention must also be accorded to the sewer construction and water availability as mere construction of toilets is not the only objective but sustained use of these toilets is. The issues relating to water availability are expected to be exacerbated by the effects of climate change and the incidence of extreme weather events. Investment in the toilet and sanitation infrastructure in the future, therefore, demands incorporation of principles of sustainability, circular economy, and adoption of eco-friendly sanitation technologies.
- Resource requirements: As the resource requirements are large, there is a need to facilitate and sustain innovative financing mechanisms by exploring the suitability of various financial instruments in specific contexts and interventions. Some examples are micro-financing, concessional loans, private partnerships, corporate social responsibility, and crowdfunding aligned with local government financing.
SBM, one of the largest cleanliness drives in the world, has brought in a remarkable transformation and traceable health benefits. As Indian economy grows, people are also on the move for various activities- for better education, for accessing better health, transport, hospitals, and tourism purposes- imparting strongly the culture of swachhata at public places and maintaining it should be an important part of clean India.
Approach:
- You can briefly highlight the achievements of SBA and mention some facts.
- Try to highlight various issues which are now relevant and should be improved to further make the mission successful.
- Give a way forward.
India’s Swachh Bharat mission has been an example and an inspiration to other countries, especially in Africa, but also East and South Asia. The country is responsible for almost single-handedly dragging the world towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal of ending open defecation. A monitoring report by United Nation organizations
Released recently shows that India’s progress with respect to providing basic sanitation
Facilities accounts for almost two thirds of the 650 million people globally who have stopped practicing open defecation between 2000 and 2017.
But still the job is half done as the main aim of the mission is not to build toilets but a behavioral change. Also many other issues have come to light as toilets are now more easily available now. Various issues which needs to be tackled to long term sustainability and improvements.
- Disposal of solid and liquid waste: The next big goal on the Swachh Bharat journey should be 100% safe and scientific disposal of solid and liquid waste as the millions of new toilets which mark the progress of the Swachh Bharat mission are, producing large amounts of solid and liquid waste and India does not have the ability to treat and dispose it off safely.
- Mindset change: mindset change is the other major ingredient required for sustained progress in sanitation. The swachhagraha or village level ambassadors who have already been recruited for Phase 1 of the programme are key to maintaining momentum in keeping with its overall thrust on leveraging behavioural economics.
- Investment in the toilet and sanitation infrastructure: Attention must also be accorded to the sewer construction and water availability as mere construction of toilets is not the only objective but sustained use of these toilets is. The issues relating to water availability are expected to be exacerbated by the effects of climate change and the incidence of extreme weather events. Investment in the toilet and sanitation infrastructure in the future, therefore, demands incorporation of principles of sustainability, circular economy, and adoption of eco-friendly sanitation technologies.
- Resource requirements: As the resource requirements are large, there is a need to facilitate and sustain innovative financing mechanisms by exploring the suitability of various financial instruments in specific contexts and interventions. Some examples are micro-financing, concessional loans, private partnerships, corporate social responsibility, and crowdfunding aligned with local government financing.
SBM, one of the largest cleanliness drives in the world, has brought in a remarkable transformation and traceable health benefits. As Indian economy grows, people are also on the move for various activities- for better education, for accessing better health, transport, hospitals, and tourism purposes- imparting strongly the culture of swachhata at public places and maintaining it should be an important part of clean India.
